On Thursday, July 6th, at the Belvedere Palace in Warsaw, a cult of Ukrainian heroes was honored, who saved their Polish neighbours from dying at the hands of members of the OUN-UPA during the Volynian Reich. During the ceremony there were present families, descendants of saved Poles and descendants of honored Ukrainians.
During the ceremony held in Belvedere, medals were presented by the Head of Cabinet of the president of the Republic of Poland Paweł Szrot on behalf of the president of Poland Andrzej Duda together with the Minister of Culture and National Heritage Prof. Piotr Gliński. Volodymir Kryżuk was the only 1 alive to receive the medal personally, accompanied by his wife Irina Kryżuk. On behalf of those decorated posthumously, the medals were received by members of their families.
Award-winning Virtus et Fraternitas Volodymyr Kryżuk said touched:
On my behalf and on behalf of all the Ukrainians, I would like to thank you sincerely, very low bowing to the President, to the Polish nation, for giving this tremendous and crucial assistance we have received from you (...) I was born, raised and lived on the shore of the picturesque river Bug, in an area where Ukrainians, Poles, and even the Trans-Burch Olęders lived peacefully for many centuries. Glory to Ukraine! Long live Poland!
On behalf of the decorated, Oksana Martynyk, a great-granddaughter honored with the Virtus et Fraternitas Lubov Medal and Anton Parpheniuk of Volyn:
I would like to thank you very much for this award for the activity of my great-grandfathers during this terrible war. all Ukrainian has a akin war today.
Read also: Ukrainians must be able to specify genocide in Volyn
Decorated with the Virtus et Fraternitas Medal 2023
- Semen Biliczuk (1890-1944) – the mayor of Kisielina. 4 days after the attack of the OUN-UPA branch on Poles gathered at Mass in Kisielina (11 July 1943) he hid the household of Antoni Sławinski in his barn.
- Ustyna Kowtoniuk (1895 - c. 1980) and Sawa Kowtoniuk (1888-c. 1970) – After the attack of the OUN-UPA branch on Poles gathered at the Holy Mass in Kisielina, they hid families: Sławinski, Romanowski, Maciaszków and Okólski. erstwhile the hazard of encountering members of the CNS-UPA decreased Sawa moved any of the group to safety. another Poles remained with the Kowtoniuks until 8 August. Sawa besides helped Romana Jurkowska excavating her father's body from a makeshift grave and moving it to the cemetery.
- Paraskewa Padlewski (1888 - c. 1960) – she and her husband ran a farm in Kisielina. She transported Włodzimierz Sławomir Dębski, who suffered during the attack of the OUN-UPA branch in Kisielina, to a infirmary in Łokacza, more than 20 km away.
- Lubow Parfeniuk (1903-1967) and Anton Parfeniuk (1890-1947) – they sold milk and its products and agricultural products in Kisielina. For respective days they hid Włodzimierz Sławomir Dębski and his parents in their farm. erstwhile the banders learned about the assistance given by the Parfeniuks, they intimidated them many times, demanding the release of items left by Poles.
- Piotr Parfeniuk (1904-1993) In the summertime of 1943 he warned Poles about the danger they were in. He saved young Polka from being shot by convincing the flagmen that the girl was Ukrainian. He was 1 of the first to arrive after the attack on the church area and helped decision injured Vladimir Dębski to the home of Lubow and Anton Parfeniuk. In addition, he led his wife – Polka and Piotr Sławinski's household out of Kisielin. In revenge for helping Poles, the banders murdered Peter and his brother's parents Paul and his family.
- Oksana Karpiuk (1892 – ?), Evhenia Bondaruk (1922 – c. 1995) and Prokop Bondaruk (1918 – c. 1990) – they provided aid to the Adamowicz family, who survived the OUN-UPA attack on Aleksandrówka on the night of 15th to 16th July 1943 and has since remained hidden. At the end of August Oksana – with the aid of her daughters-in-law Yevheni and son-in-law Prokop – hid 4 children, their parents and grandmother. However, the Adamowicz household decided to divided up: parents with 3 younger children took refuge in a bunker hidden in the field, and Teresa (the oldest child) and her grandma Tekla hid in the Bondaruk barn – both survived the war.
- Anastasia Koren (1908-1967) and Mikoła Koren (1905-1944) – On July 15, 1943, they hid the children of Adamowicz neighbors in their pantry: nine-year-old Teresa, five-year-old Janusz, three-year-old Stasta and one-and-a-half-year-old Henia. For the next fewer weeks, children hid among the fields during the day, and for the night they returned to the barn of Anastasiji and Mikola.
- Sofia Kyc (1890 – ?) and Paul Kyc (1897 – ?) –15 July1943. Pavlo warned 2 families surviving in the neighbourhood, including the Adamovich family, against attacks by CNS-UPA troops. In her home, the matrimony hid Michael Adamowicz until 1944.
- Herasym Łukianczuk (1890-1953) – he found a 10-year-old Skowronska Leokadia, the daughter of his neighbor, whose bullet from the firearm injured his leg. In a bag thrown on his back, he carried the girl to his home, where the girl's brother Stanislaw was hiding. erstwhile he looked at the swollen leg, he decided to drive the kid to the infirmary in Kowl. The Banders stopped his car. However, he was able to convince them that he was carrying a sick boy to a hospital.
- Volodymyr Kryżuk (born 1978) – Since the beginning of the 2000s he has helped Poles who came to organize the graves of victims of the execution carried out on 30 August 1943 by members of the OUN-UPA in the villages of Ostrówówka and Wola Ostrowiecka. Then, as president of the agrarian Council in Plains, he was active in the exhumation of the victims of the Volyn massacre organized by the Institute of National Memory, resulting in the extraction of remains of about 300 Poles. Volodymyr Kryjuko besides takes care of a monument dedicated to murdered Poles and cemetery in Ostrówków.
The Pilecki Foundation besides prepared an information brochure, which presents the biographies of decorated heroes - LINK.
The Virtus et Fraternitas Medal is simply a prize awarded by the president of the Republic of Poland to foreigners who deserve the aid of Polish or Polish citizens of another nationalities who were victims of russian crimes, Nazi German crimes, crimes of nationalistic motives or another crimes constituting crimes against peace, humanity and war crimes committed between 8 November 1917 and 31 July 1990. A discrimination may besides be given to those taking action to commemorate those who have brought aid and salvation. Between 2019 and 2023, heroes were honored 5 times.
nationalists.net/gov.pl♪ Oh, yeah ♪Institut Pilecki.pl
