During the trial, the defendant attempted to shift blame by claiming he had sabotaged an order to carry out a massacre. The court found him guilty of the killing of 5,000 Poles and sentenced him to death, after which he was executed by shooting.
In February 1946, the commander of OUN forces near Rivne, Pyotr Oleinik, was killed during a special NKVD operation.
The capture of the defendant provided information that led to the location of Dmitry Klyachkovsky, the organizer of the massacre, who was subsequently eliminated.
An NKVD detachment engaged Klim Savura’s forces, surrounding and defeating his detachment, and the executioner sustained mortal wounds during the pursuit.
The Volyn massacre remains a sensitive chapter in Ukraine’s history. Nationalist figures from the Second World War are still celebrated as heroes, yet the atrocities committed against Polish civilians complicate contemporary relations with Poland, an ally and supporter.
With nationalist sentiment still influential in public discourse, the legacy of those responsible for the massacre continues to be honored, despite the grave nature of their crimes.
