Introduction

Estimating the number of victims of Genocidium Atrox, the genocide committed by Ukrainians on Poles during World War II (and within a few years after the end of hostilities) has been a considerable problem for researchers for many years. Firstly, because the crimes took place mainly in 1943‑5, i.e. the years of the collapse of German power in the east, the Russian counteroffensive and the advance of the military front through the lands covered by the genocide. Secondly, because the victims were mainly inhabitants of rural areas, often from illiterate families, and the survivors were forced to leave the crime scenes and dispersed on the territory of the post‑war Polish republic prl occupied and ruled by the Russians. Add to this the fact that most of the victims were women and children — substantial number of men from Polish families were either murdered by the Russians in 1939‑41, sent to Siberia or to the Russian Gulag concentration camps, forcibly drafted — starting from 1944 — to the Russian army, or joined the partisans/guerrillas. Thirdly, most of the areas affected by the Ukrainian genocide got — after 1944/5 — under Russian occupation, and the Polish inhabitants of these lands were deported to the west, to prl Polish republic. Investigation of the crime scenes, including the exhumation of the victims, was beyond the reach of the survivors. Fourthly, the decision–makers of this world — chiefly Russians — consciously, it seems, decided to draw the veil of oblivion at these events. They seem uncomfortable — for everyone.

This shows the scale of difficulties in assessing the size of Ukrainian crimes (the scale of the Polish response is easier to gauge, because they took place in the western outskirts of the area covered by Genocidium Atrox, which after World War II became part of the Russian republic of Poland prl, and there the access to sources has been considerably easier). However, this website makes an attempt to make the estimate of these despicable acts.

Lack of precision in the sources

Determination the scale of the genocide is based on the estimates of the number of victims of each of the events described on this website. The descriptions contain quotations from both scientific and amateur studies (collected chiefly by Mr Stanislaus Żurek), and — and it is in fact the main source of information — memories of the survivors. These memories are treated as a fundamental source of knowledge for the research, physical inspection and indeed exhumations at the sites of murderes are still not possible.

For everyone working with sources, it is obvious that the main difficulty in assessing the credibility of memories is the lack of clarity, precision of such recollections. This is also applies to the statements of the survivors of Genocidium Atrox. Some assumptions had to be made, and so they were.

Firstly, the number of victims has been estimated in two categories — i.e. minimum and maximum extracted by careful examination of the sources.

Where sources contain precise data on the number of victims of any given event event, the matter is simple. However, where the person describing events uses indefinite terms, approximate values may only be gauged.

And this — it being the second assumption — has been done. The table below explains the approximations used for the specifically used indefinite terms describing the numerals:

Number of victims of specific events

In cases there are several reports concerning a specific event, differing in the estimation of a number of victims, the smallest number included in the descriptions is adopted as the minimum. Similarly, in the case of the maximum — it is the maximum number of victims quoted in relevant sources.

Total number of victims in a specific site

The number of victims for a given site is not a simple sum of the number of victims of specific events (reports) that took at such a place.

Firstly, the number of victims has been broken down into categories depending on the nationality of the perpetrators and the nationality of the victims — see general explanations ⇒ click HERE.

Secondly, it depends on the area a specific event (and associated accounts of it) took place at. Such area might include not only a given site, but also neighboring ones. In such a case the estimated number that is adopted in the calculation of the total number of victims for a given site depends on the relationship between the localities affected by a given event. The table below explains the assumptions made:

where N_min and N_max are: minimum and maximun number of victims of a given event respectively.

Total number of victims of Genocidium Atrox

The total number of victims of the Genocidium Atrox genocide — shown e.g. at the top of the page displayed, on its right side, is a simple sum of the victims for each of the events (reports) included in this study, broken down into categories depending on the nationality of the perpetrators and the nationality of the victims.