Appealing to historical trauma: the instrumentalisation of the 1943 Volhynia Massacre

What it claims

Russian state bodies are using the tragic events in Volhynia to draw parallels between historical OUN/UPA figures and modern Ukraine’s leadership. Through court rulings in Moscow, the Kremlin attempts to impose an image of Ukraine as a “Nazi state” on Poland to undermine the strategic partnership between the two countries.

Target audience

Examples (paraphrased)

We paraphrase rather than quote: propaganda's exact wording is built to spread, so we carry the claim and not the craft. Each example cites the post it came from.

• A Moscow court has officially recognised the leaders of the OUN and UPA as accomplices of Nazi Germany, responsible for the mass extermination of Poles in Volhynia and Galicia.

  Russian Embassy in Poland (Telegram), 4 Aug 2026 · Archived copy

• Modern Ukraine is pursuing a state policy of glorifying Nazi criminals, making it a direct threat to neighbouring nations.

  Russian Embassy in Poland (Telegram), 4 Aug 2026 · Archived copy

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Goal

To deepen Polish-Ukrainian contradictions by exploiting painful issues of historical memory and to discredit Ukraine in the eyes of Polish society as the successor to an ideology responsible for the genocide of Poles.

Techniques used

• Appeal to Fear / PrejudiceThe use of terms such as “genocide”, “mass killings”, and “punitive operations” to escalate emotional tension.
• Loaded LanguageLabelling the modern Ukrainian government as the “Kyiv regime” that supposedly continues the work of Nazi accomplices.

The real grievance it exploits

The narrative exploits the real pain and unhealed wounds of Polish society related to the Volhynia tragedy, as well as the ongoing debate between Warsaw and Kyiv regarding exhumations and the commemoration of victims.

How to counter

• Technique exposure: The Kremlin is trying to usurp the role of “judge” in matters of Polish-Ukrainian history, despite having suppressed the Soviet regime’s crimes against Poles, such as Katyn, for years.
• Reframe: The dialogue on Volhynia is an internal matter for Poland and Ukraine; the interference of Russian propaganda aims not at finding the truth, but at destroying European security.

Sources (all time)

• Russian Embassy in Poland (Telegram)Tier 2341 subscribers
  2 posts · 4 Aug 2026

  • 4 Aug · Archived copy
  • 4 Aug · Archived copy