[col. Berestany, Karolówka estate] – the Bandera followers murdered 10 Poles from four poor hut–houses located in the forest.

source: Żurek Stanisław, „Calendar of the genocide – December 1944 and "in 1944"”; in: portal: Volhynia — web page: wolyn.org [accessible: 2021.02.04]

[col. Berestany, Karolówka estate] – were murdered by the Bandera followers: Kozdęba Jakub, approx. 26, and Katarzyna Ostrowska, approx. 50, and her children.

source: Żurek Stanisław, „Calendar of the genocide – December 1944 and "in 1944"”; in: portal: Volhynia — web page: wolyn.org [accessible: 2021.02.04]

source: Tokarska Krystyna, „List of the murdered” — web page: www.stankiewicze.com [accessible: 2010.01.01]

The beginning of winter 1944 in the village of Berestany, approx. 2 km from Łukowiec, district Rohatyn: „We went there in eight people. It was the beginning of winter, the snow was snowing, but there was no frost yet. We found terrible views in our houses in Berestaw. Everything scattered. A dark old man with a broken head next to a boy with a horse in one hand and a potato in the other hand – apparently he was peeling them when they were surprised by the Bandera followers. In the middle of the hut there was a woman, killed by a blow to the head. Crosses, paintings, all broken, full of beans scattered on the ground. We buried the bodies very shallow, because Mr. Filip was afraid the Ukrainians would not see us either. We came home alive,”.

source: Żurek Stanisław, „Calendar of the genocide – December 1944 and "in 1944"”; in: portal: Volhynia — web page: wolyn.org [accessible: 2021.02.04]

source: „Notebooks from Łuków”, in: No. 2, c, June-August 2003 — web page: www.waly.brzegdolny.pl [accessible: 2021.04.11]

In Zaturze village in Horokhiv county 5 Polish families living on the outskirts of the village, 33 Poles, are murdered. From July 11, survivors from the slaughter of the surrounding villages are brought here by carts, on foot, often people are half naked. Food and water are running out. On July 15 and 28, the UPA murdered two 22‑year‑old Polish girls here.

source: Żurek Stanisław, „Calendar of the genocide – December 1944 and "in 1944"”; in: portal: Volhynia — web page: wolyn.org [accessible: 2021.02.04]

source: „Notebooks from Łuków”, in: No. 1, March-May 2003 — web page: www.waly.brzegdolny.pl [accessible: 2021.04.11]

[col. Be+R[–11]Crestany, Karolówka estate] – the Bandera followers murdered 2 Polish women: „as we know, the inhabitants of the surrounding villages, who took refuge in Łukowiec, left all their belongings, taking with them only what they had lifted, or brought by wagon. Therefore, there have been cases of returning to their homes (or to the burnt ruins) to retrieve things left there, thus exposing themselves to mortal danger. This was the case with our grandmother Katarzyna Ostrowska. For the first time, she went to the fire site to collect the baked corn cakes left in the dugout (mound). I remember how terribly they were burnt, but in the face of hunger, we all ate them with relish. The second time she went to get some unburnt things and at the same time visited her daughter aniela (who is in an advanced pregnancy) in «Berestawach», married to a Ukrainian, aleksadro Zabłocki (shoemaker). This time she did not come back. Both mother and daughter were brutally murdered in a nearby forest. anielka left a little son, Władysław, who was brought up by his father and his Ukrainian family. Władek (already a young man) learned about the fact that he had a Polish mother and a Polish family from his stepmother, but only after a few years after the war, a resident of Łuków, Tadek Ostrowski, visited his relatives in Hodorów and his uncle in Żurów, and aleksander Zabłocki with his son at the same time. Władek was surprised by this news and at the same time charmed by the behavior and appearance of his cousin from Poland (as he later said – elegantly dressed in a suit and tie), and the photograph of his Polish mother (in the photo nicely dressed in white gloves and a beret), which he saw for the first time. So he decided to visit his family (aunt and uncles) in Poland. What was strongly advised against him and what was disturbed. However, he stubbornly sought to visit him and did his job, he came to Lower Silesia. He was infatuated with the standard of living in Poland. He left satisfied, properly dressed and with gifts. after his return, he had to atone for it, he was discriminated against by the Ukrainian family and the authorities. He was banned from going to Poland, and Soviet agents in Poland, still in the 1980s (after the Solidarity transformations), interviewed Polish families (relatives) about Władek's possible contacts. One fact that has so far been unknown to us deserves attention. Well, my friends (Mieczysław and Leszek Kochman from Kamienna Góra and Jan Ostrowski from Wołów) visiting the homeland on the borderlands as tourists, informed me that that they saw a monument to the murdered Katarzyna Ostrów and her daughter, erected near the crime scene (on the outskirts of Żurów), but with a strange inscription that they died tragically; «at the hands of the fascists». Coming back to Łukowiec; My uncle Julia Ozga, who was hiding in Łukowiec with the Wosiów family on ul. Lower green. During «the attempt» to reach the village of «Berestawy» and her abandoned estate, she was captured by several Banderites and led to a nearby forest near Czerniów in order to be executed. She was led crying across the village in front of her Ukrainian neighbors and many friends she was friends with. However, no one stood up for her and said a word, even though they knew where she was being led. The gang commander decided about the execution in the forest. When he left the shelter (bunker), he recognized his good acquaintance from his teenage years, who now on her knees begged him to spare her life. and suddenly a miracle almost happened. The commander gave the order to escort her along the same road to a safe place, to the road to Łukowiec. This account was told to me personally by my uncle (my godmother), already in Lower Silesia in the village of Brunów, and later in Lubin with her son–in–law Stanisław Urbaniak (former high–voltage station). By postponing their departure to Łukowiec, the Huczek family from Żurów miraculously saved themselves from the hands of the Ukrainian torturers. The family consisted of four people: Huczek Michał with his wife Tekla and two sons Władysław and Stanisław. They felt threatened when the entire Jabłkowski family from Żurów, a total of 12 people, was murdered and buried in the nearby forest on the Swirz River. Long and they did not have to wait. One night the Bandera followers stormed the Huczek's apartment in order to take them for execution. The Huczkos, being in bed, undressed, resisted. One Bandera had already drawn a knife and put it to Mrs. Thecla's throat. Then there was a scream and confusion and disagreements between the Bandera followers. They decided to go to the council to their commander, who probably wanted to see them alive. When the bandits returned for the second time, the family was already hidden in a garden in a tree–stack. and at dawn, in order not to arouse suspicions of the Ukrainians, they split up and fled to the town of Bukaczowce. Mr.Michał covered the cow with a blanket that he was supposed to be sick and took her to the vet, he walked through meadows and side roads to Bukaczowiec. From there they happily reached Łukowiec with some guards, where they stayed until their departure to the Regained Territories. Here they ended up in the village of Jastrzębce near Środa Śląska. Currently, the youngest son, Stanisław, who is already retired, lives in Legnickie Pole. He personally gave me this report”. The photo has a caption: „aniela Ostrowska – Zabłocka from Berestaw, murdered in 1944 by the Bandera followers with her mother Katarzyna in the woods near Żurów, photo from the 1930s”.

source: Żurek Stanisław, „Calendar of the genocide – December 1944 and "in 1944"”; in: portal: Volhynia — web page: wolyn.org [accessible: 2021.02.04]

source: „Notebooks from Łuków”, in: No. 9—10, April-September 2005 — web page: www.waly.brzegdolny.pl [accessible: 2021.02.21]

[col. Berestany, Karolówka estate] – „In March 1944, the following were murdered: 1–3. Kozdeba Kuba; Zabłocka Aniela, 29, in advanced pregnancy, her head was cut off; 4. Ostrowska Katarzyna, 58, Aniela's mother from Żurów; 5–11. Seven people NN”.

source: Żurek Stanisław, „Calendar of the genocide – March 1944”; in: portal: Volhynia — web page: wolyn.org [accessible: 2021.02.04]

source: prof. dr hab. Jankiewicz Leszek S., „Supplement to the list of losses of the Polish population provided by Stanisław Jastrzębski for the Lubelskie Voivodeship (2004)”; in: Listowski Witold (ed.), „OUN-UPA genocide in the South-Eastern Borderlands”, in: Kędzierzyn-Koźle 2016, vol. 8

[col. Berestany, Karolówka estate] – „As we know, the people of the surrounding villages, who took refuge in Łukowiec, left all their belongings taking with them only what they had lifted, or they brought them by wagon. Therefore, there have been cases of returning to their homes (or to the burnt ruins) to retrieve things left there, thus exposing themselves to mortal danger. This was the case with our grandmother Katarzyna Ostrowska. For the first time, she went to the fire site to collect the baked corn cakes left in the dugout (mound). I remember how terribly they were burnt, but in the face of hunger, we all ate them with relish. The second time she went to get some unburnt things and at the same time visited her daughter Aniela (who was in advanced pregnancy), married to a Ukrainian, Aleksadro Zabłocki (a shoemaker), in «Berestawy». This time she did not come back. Both mother and daughter were brutally murdered in a nearby forest. Anielka left a little son, Władysław, who was brought up by his father and his Ukrainian family. Władek (already a young man) learned about the fact that he had a Polish mother and a Polish family from his stepmother, but only after a few years after the war, a resident of Łuków, Tadek Ostrowski, visited his relatives in Hodorów and his uncle in Żurów, and Aleksander Zabłocki with his son at the same time  […] A fact that has so far been unknown to us deserves attention. Well, my friends (Mieczysław and Leszek Kochman from Kamienna Góra and Jan Ostrowski from Wołów) visiting their homeland as tourists, informed me that they had seen a monument to the murdered Katarzyna Ostrowska and her daughter placed near the crime scene (on the outskirts of Żurów), but with a strange inscription, that they died tragically; «at the hands of the fascists»  […] By postponing their departure to Łukowiec, the Huczek family from Żurów miraculously saved themselves from the hands of the Ukrainian torturers. The family consisted of four people: Huczek Michał with his wife Tekla and two sons Władysław and Stanisław. They felt threatened when the entire Jabłkowski family from Żurów, 12 people in total, was murdered and buried in the nearby forest on the Swirz river”.

source: Żurek Stanisław, „Calendar of the genocide – November 1944”; in: portal: Volhynia — web page: wolyn.org [accessible: 2021.02.04]

source: Ozga Kazimierz, „Memories of Berestaw and Łukowiec”; in: „Notebooks from Łuków”, in: No. 9—10, April-September 2005 — web page: www.waly.brzegdolny.pl [accessible: 2021.02.21]

Kol. Berestawy was part of the village of Karolówka, county Rohatyn. The murder probably took place in the fall of 1944.

source: Żurek Stanisław, „Calendar of the genocide – November 1944”; in: portal: Volhynia — web page: wolyn.org [accessible: 2021.02.04]