Summary:
On the 55th anniversary of Operation “Vistula” Paweł Smoleński conducted an interview with a Polish historian Grzegorz Motyka, entitled: “Operation ‘Vistula:’ Nothing but Shame.” Motyka, who has published an extensive monograph on the military developments in southeastern Poland between 1943 and 1948 (Tak było w Bieszczadach: walki polsko-ukraińskie 1943-1948, 1999), argues that there was no need for the resettlement of the Ukrainians and Lemkos as the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) could have been defeated without it. He also claims, as he did in his book, that Lemkos were largely not interested in Ukrainian politics, and those who joined the UPA did it in defense of their homes.

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