The plight of the Lemkos in Poland does not just equate to “Aksja Wisla”, the operation that instituted the forced resettlement of Lemkos to western Poland. Merely labeling it as this removes the purposeful campaign to erase the idea of Lemkovyna altogether, never mind the stories of the crippling trauma and permanent cultural erasure that occurred. In fact, one could argue that the crimes committed by the Polish and Soviet governments rose to a level far greater than forced relocation. In a short span of just a few years, there is a list of heinous actions that not only has the Polish government largely denied responsibility for, but has done nothing to change to make up for their actions. But what exactly do we mean when we say there is more to the story?
The Lemko Ethnocide was the ethnic cleansing and forced assimilation policy conducted by the Polish government against the Lemko people that began in 1945 and ended in 1947 when the last Lemkos were exiled to western Poland. After this period was the Decades of Silence where the Rusyn identity and language were banned until the fall of communism in 1991.
When understanding why we date the start of this ethnocide in 1945 instead of 1947, it’s important to understand that Operation Vistula (Aksja Wisla) was not the only displacement event that occurred in the region. As was common in the 20th century, a policy of Rusyn erasure occurred where Lemko-Rusyns were labeled as Ukrainians even with plenty of evidence to the contrary. Lemko-Rusyns would be grouped with those in the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) by local authorities even though their population had little to do with this foreign force. It was instead the remnants of the Galician and Volhynian ultranationalists aligned with the OUN-B and OUN-M. Dozens of massacres involving Polish civilians would occur with entire villages being burnt down in the process. When it became clear to the Polish and Soviet governments something must be done to neutralize this army, they refused to make any distinction between us and them.
Multiple population exchanges occurred with populations of Lemkos and Ukrainians in the border regions further north being sent into Soviet Ukraine as far as the Donbas region (Radio Free Ukraine amounts to being little more than an arm of the American propaganda machine, but the video is worth viewing). The majority would be settled in Western Ukraine though, and with it become accustomed to Ukrainian culture and life. By the time the final events of Aksja Wisla occurred, there had already been severe depopulation of the native Ukrainian and Lemko-Rusyn ethnographic areas. It was at this point merely an effort to finish the job.
In the aftermath of Aksja Wisla, there was a purposeful purge of any Lemko heritage visible to the land. Entire towns are now missing any buildings or structures to show where they had been, and the churches that still remained were forcefully converted from Orthodox and Greek-Catholic denominations. Still today many are Roman Catholic and attended by the descendants of new Polish immigrants. The Lemkos thrown west were not even kept together either as the population would spread out across many provinces. With the passing of time, the majority of Lemkos have forgotten the Rusyn language. No official government programs or assistance has been made to help undo what was done.
With all of these facts known, a simple acknowledgment of what happened cannot ever be enough. It is mere words without any substantive difference to the outcome. The bare minimum that can reasonably be accepted from the state is the repossession of all Lemko churches that were converted into Catholic Polish ones, and the offer of land to the descendants of emigrants with the option of returning to Lemkovyna. Until this occurs this blatant act of Rusyn erasure will continue to be a black mark on the country of Poland, which in the past thirty years has attempted to greatly improve its image of being a democracy and bastion of European values.