It is not the first time that the volunteers of the "Dobra Sprava" Charitable Foundation, together with local residents, tidy up the Polish military cemetery in the village of Hayowe (former Przebraze) of the Kivertciw Territorial Community. In the spring, before the Catholic Easter, they cleaned for two days. Now it was done in a one day.
"All Saints' Day will be celebrated in Poland on November 1. For Poles, this is an extremely important day. On this day, they go to cemeteries, light memorial candles and pay respect to their deceased ancestors. Before that, the graves are cleaned. Therefore, we decided to collect dry leaves, fix lamps and ribbons, because, at the moment, this cannot be done by the relatives or relatives of those who are buried here. This is how we want to express our gratitude to our Polish partners who provide a large amount of humanitarian aid to those in need and to all Poles who support Ukrainians during the war. Therefore, we do this to show that we also treat them in a brotherly way," said volunteer of the Charitable Foundation Olena Shamayda.
The headman of the village of Gaiove Yuriy Bedeniuk said that this cemetery was abandoned until 2001. The Soviet authorities wanted to destroy not only the burial place, but also the memory of those tragic events.
"Red Army soldiers were once buried here. I was still in school when they were reburied in the village. I remember this, - says Yuriy Bedeniuk, - The first burial of Poles (17 people) was carried out in the spring of 1943. They were killed by unknown persons. Many Poles are buried here, among them are children. The total number is unknown. There were no combat operations here, but Cybulski's "Polish Self-Defense" detachment was active. Many Ukrainians also died then. The Poles built this cemetery, and we maintain order. Twice a year we do a big cleaning: painting, whitewashing. Before the Independence Day of Ukraine, they mowed the grass. Community activists like you help. In July of this year, the participants of the Volynsky Raid and deputies from Krakow visited the cemetery. They were sincerely surprised that the cemetery was well-kept. We must do this and pray for the repose of the souls of all the victims of the Second World War. This is our human duty. Especially now, when Poland is our closest ally."
«На території Ківерцівської громади є 17 цвинтарів. На двох із них похоронені поляки. Стараємось, щоб могили завжди були прибрані і доглянуті. Поляки підтримали нас, а ми повинні підтримувати їх. По-іншому тепер бути не може», - впевнений голова Ківерцівської громади Олександр Ковальчук, який є ініціатором впорядкування польського військового кладовища.
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