Pawłokoma massacre
The Pawłokoma massacre was a massacre on 3 March 1945 of Ukrainians by Polish forces in the village of Pawłokoma west of Przemyśl. The Polish Home Army (AK) unit was commanded by Lt. Józef Biss and aided by Polish men from surrounding villages. Between 150 to 500 men were executed, with the women and children ignored. Background. The background to the event was a four-way struggle between Ukrainian, Polish, Nazi, and Soviet forces in the then predominantly Ukrainian region of Volhynia. Mass executions and violence led to the death of 30,000 Ukrainians and between 70,000 to 100,000  Poles between February 1943 and July 1944. Massacre. The Polish troops commanded by Lt. Józef Biss herded the Ukrainian villagers to the local church where they were shot. Following the mass shooting, the Poles dumped the bodies in pits at the village cemetery. According to Polish historian Zdzisław Konieczny the AK killed 150 men. Other estimates of those killed range from 366 to 500. Aftermath. In 1947, the Polish government launched Operation Vistula that deported Ukrainian residents of the area en masse. Propaganda in schools depicted Ukrainians as traitors, fascists, and "natural enemies" of Poles. Commemoration. During Ukrainian Prime Minister  Viktor Yushchenko's visit to Poland in May 2006, a monument in memory for 366 victims was dedicated in the village.