Repatriation of Ukrainians from Poland to USSR (1944-1946)
Encyclopedia
The repatriation of Ukrainians from Poland to the Soviet Union in 1944-1946 was part of the World War II evacuation and expulsion
that sought the ethnic consolidation of the territory of Poland
and Ukraine
. The treaty signed on 9 September 1944 between Polish communist PKWN government
and Ukrainian SSR
formed the basis for this repatriation (as well as for the repatriation of Poles (1944-1946)). About 480,000 people were affected by this repatriation
.
With the signing of the agreement in September 1944, individuals identified as of Ukrainian
origin were required to register for resettlement
. The number of individuals registered between October 1944 and September 1946 was 492,682. Of this total, 482,880 individuals were eventually relocated to the Ukrainian SSR
, settling primarily in the Ternopil
, Ivano-Frankivsk
, and Lviv
Oblasts (provinces), in the southern and south-western oblasts of Mykolaiv
and Dnipropetrovsk
, and to a lesser extent the Donbas region of Eastern Ukraine. The largest resettlement of Ukrainians from Poland took place in the border counties of Hrubieszów
, Przemyśl
and Sanok
followed secondarily by Lubaczów
, Tomaszów
, Lesko
, Jaroslav
and Chełm.
During the resettlement campaign, all eligible individuals were required to register with local district commissions administered from the key centers of Jarosław, Gorlice
, Krasnystaw
, Chełm, Lublin
, Biłgoraj, Jasło, Zamość
and Nowy Sącz
. The function of the commissions, which were staffed with both Polish and Soviet personnel, was not only to register, co-ordinate and facilitate the transportation of individuals, but also conduct propaganda work among the target population. There was some initial success but the number of applications for resettlement tapered off by mid-1945. In August 1945, the campaign to resettle entered a new phase.
In order to achieve the political objective of relocating the Ukrainiain ethnic population from Poland, the relatively benign character of the policy was abandoned in favor of a more aggressive approach. In this regard, Polish and Soviet security forces (KBW and MVD respectively) were deployed. Mass arrests of local elites were undertaken and a variety of coercive measures were applied to pressure families and individuals to relocate. As force became routine, the voluntary became compulsory. Groups and entire villages were compelled to embark on transports bound for the Soviet Union. Within the course of a single year, July 1945 - July 1946, some 400,000 were uprooted and deported in this manner. The resettlement operation concluded in September 1946, when for all intents and purposes the demographic foundation of the Ukrainian population in Poland was destroyed.
The campaign to resettle, however, fed the ranks of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), which has been operating in the region since 1943. Difficulties in suppressing the insurgency, would force the Polish government, at a later date, to pursue more drastic measures (the Operation Vistula of 1947) in the resettlement of the remaining population that was identiified as of Ukrainian origin and hostile to Polish authority in the territory.
World War II evacuation and expulsion
Forced deportation, mass evacuation and displacement of peoples took place in many of the countries involved in World War II. These were caused both by the direct hostilities between Axis and Allied powers, and the border changes enacted in the pre-war settlement...
that sought the ethnic consolidation of the territory of Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. The treaty signed on 9 September 1944 between Polish communist PKWN government
Polish Committee of National Liberation
The Polish Committee of National Liberation , also known as the Lublin Committee, was a provisional government of Poland, officially proclaimed 21 July 1944 in Chełm under the direction of State National Council in opposition to the Polish government in exile...
and Ukrainian SSR
Ukrainian SSR
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic or in short, the Ukrainian SSR was a sovereign Soviet Socialist state and one of the fifteen constituent republics of the Soviet Union lasting from its inception in 1922 to the breakup in 1991...
formed the basis for this repatriation (as well as for the repatriation of Poles (1944-1946)). About 480,000 people were affected by this repatriation
Repatriation
Repatriation is the process of returning a person back to one's place of origin or citizenship. This includes the process of returning refugees or soldiers to their place of origin following a war...
.
With the signing of the agreement in September 1944, individuals identified as of Ukrainian
Ukrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
origin were required to register for resettlement
Resettlement
Resettlement:*can refer to voluntary or involuntary human migration*can be a euphemism for forced migration*can be a euphemism for population transfer...
. The number of individuals registered between October 1944 and September 1946 was 492,682. Of this total, 482,880 individuals were eventually relocated to the Ukrainian SSR
Ukrainian SSR
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic or in short, the Ukrainian SSR was a sovereign Soviet Socialist state and one of the fifteen constituent republics of the Soviet Union lasting from its inception in 1922 to the breakup in 1991...
, settling primarily in the Ternopil
Ternopil
Ternopil , is a city in western Ukraine, located on the banks of the Seret River. Ternopil is one of the major cities of Western Ukraine and the historical region of Galicia...
, Ivano-Frankivsk
Ivano-Frankivsk
Ivano-Frankivsk is a historic city located in the western Ukraine. It is the administrative centre of the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast , and is designated as its own separate raion within the oblast, municipality....
, and Lviv
Lviv Oblast
Lviv Oblast is an oblast in western Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Lviv.-History:The oblast was created as part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic on December 4, 1939...
Oblasts (provinces), in the southern and south-western oblasts of Mykolaiv
Mykolaiv Oblast
Mykolaiv Oblast is an oblast of Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Mykolayiv.-Geography:The Mykolaiv Oblast is located in the southern half of Ukraine...
and Dnipropetrovsk
Dnipropetrovsk
Dnipropetrovsk or Dnepropetrovsk formerly Yekaterinoslav is Ukraine's third largest city with one million inhabitants. It is located southeast of Ukraine's capital Kiev on the Dnieper River, in the south-central region of the country...
, and to a lesser extent the Donbas region of Eastern Ukraine. The largest resettlement of Ukrainians from Poland took place in the border counties of Hrubieszów
Hrubieszów
Hrubieszów is a town in southeastern Poland, with a population of 18,661 . It is the capital of Hrubieszów County. Since 1999 Hrubieszów has been part of Lublin Voivodeship . Earlier, 1975–98, it had been part of Zamość Province...
, Przemyśl
Przemysl
Przemyśl is a city in south-eastern Poland with 66,756 inhabitants, as of June 2009. In 1999, it became part of the Podkarpackie Voivodeship; it was previously the capital of Przemyśl Voivodeship....
and Sanok
Sanok
Sanok is a town in south-eastern Poland with 39,110 inhabitants, as of 2 June 2009. It's the capital of Sanok County in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship. Previously, it was in the Krosno Voivodeship and in the Ruthenian Voivodeship , which was part of the Lesser Poland province...
followed secondarily by Lubaczów
Lubaczów
Lubaczów is a town in southeastern Poland, close to the border with Ukraine, with 12,405 inhabitants .Situated in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship , it is the capital of Lubaczów County and is located 50 kilometers northeast of Przemyśl....
, Tomaszów
Tomaszów
Tomaszów may refer to the following places in Poland:* Tomaszów Lubelski, a town in Lublin Voivodeship* Tomaszów Mazowiecki, a town in Łódź Voivodeship*Tomaszów, Lublin Voivodeship *Tomaszów, Opoczno County in Łódź Voivodeship...
, Lesko
Lesko
Lesko ; is a town in south-eastern Poland with a population of 5,755 . situated in the Bieszczady mountains. It is located in the heartland of the Doły , and its average altitude is above sea level, although there are some hills located within the confines of the city...
, Jaroslav
Jaroslav
Jaroslav is a common Slavic first name, composed from the elements jar meaning strong or powerful and slav meaning glory or fame. It is also the name of several places....
and Chełm.
During the resettlement campaign, all eligible individuals were required to register with local district commissions administered from the key centers of Jarosław, Gorlice
Gorlice
Gorlice is a city and an urban municipality in south eastern Poland with around 29,500 inhabitants . It is situated south east of Kraków and south of Tarnów between Jasło and Nowy Sącz in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship , previously in Nowy Sącz Voivodeship...
, Krasnystaw
Krasnystaw
Krasnystaw is a town in eastern Poland with 19,615 inhabitants . Situated in the Lublin Voivodeship , previously in Chelm Voivodeship . It is the capital of Krasnystaw County....
, Chełm, Lublin
Lublin
Lublin is the ninth largest city in Poland. It is the capital of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 350,392 . Lublin is also the largest Polish city east of the Vistula river...
, Biłgoraj, Jasło, Zamość
Zamosc
Zamość ukr. Замостя is a town in southeastern Poland with 66,633 inhabitants , situated in the south-western part of Lublin Voivodeship , about from Lublin, from Warsaw and from the border with Ukraine...
and Nowy Sącz
Nowy Sacz
Nowy Sącz is a town in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship in southern Poland. It is the district capital of Nowy Sącz County, but is not included within the powiat.-Names:...
. The function of the commissions, which were staffed with both Polish and Soviet personnel, was not only to register, co-ordinate and facilitate the transportation of individuals, but also conduct propaganda work among the target population. There was some initial success but the number of applications for resettlement tapered off by mid-1945. In August 1945, the campaign to resettle entered a new phase.
In order to achieve the political objective of relocating the Ukrainiain ethnic population from Poland, the relatively benign character of the policy was abandoned in favor of a more aggressive approach. In this regard, Polish and Soviet security forces (KBW and MVD respectively) were deployed. Mass arrests of local elites were undertaken and a variety of coercive measures were applied to pressure families and individuals to relocate. As force became routine, the voluntary became compulsory. Groups and entire villages were compelled to embark on transports bound for the Soviet Union. Within the course of a single year, July 1945 - July 1946, some 400,000 were uprooted and deported in this manner. The resettlement operation concluded in September 1946, when for all intents and purposes the demographic foundation of the Ukrainian population in Poland was destroyed.
The campaign to resettle, however, fed the ranks of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), which has been operating in the region since 1943. Difficulties in suppressing the insurgency, would force the Polish government, at a later date, to pursue more drastic measures (the Operation Vistula of 1947) in the resettlement of the remaining population that was identiified as of Ukrainian origin and hostile to Polish authority in the territory.