The photo report is dedicated to Mrs. Helena Mrozińska, d/o Kazimierz Basiński, born in Koźle in 1925, Helena kept a wonderful memory, shared her memories. She told the fate of Koźle, but also the fate of the neighborhood. It is a priceless documentary about the tragedy of the villages of Volhynia, the drama unfolded before her eyes. I will briefly describe only two of her stories. First story: A miller from Lipno built a house for himself in Koźle, it is not known whether he was helped by „the devil” to spin the wheel, but he was doing well. He welcomed everyone under his roof, and this is how he received a Soviet spy, wounded before the war at Huta Stepańska. He didn't ask for anything, he recovered and left. Soon he came with the Red Army in the uniform of an NKVD major, it was the year 39. He wrote a safe–guard for his parting, and sealed him. The miller did not think that it would be of use to him, he didn't even tell his wife. However, he quickly took it out when a sleigh arrived in front of the house in February 1940. They were supposed to pack to Siberia. The NKVD – and when they read the letter, went outside, discussed for a long time – they left without a word. They left the mill when the Banderite threat came, they moved to Koźle. The miller sent his wife to investigate the situation in Lipno. Ukrainian friends took her, and her godson tied her hair to a string and dragged her around the village until she died. I also talked to her daughter, she recently passed away. I do not give the surname because of the dignity of the miller's grandson. The miller sent his wife to investigate the situation in Lipno. Ukrainian friends took her, and her godson tied her hair to a string and dragged her around the village until she died. I also talked to her daughter, she recently passed away. I do not give the surname because of the dignity of the miller's grandson. The miller sent his wife to investigate the situation in Lipno. Ukrainian friends took her, and her godson tied her hair to a string and dragged her around the village until she died. I also spoke to her daughter, she recently passed away. I do not give the surname because of the dignity of the miller's grandson.

source: Żurek Stanisław, „75th anniversary of the genocide – December 1943”; in: portal: Volhynia — web page: wolyn.org [accessible: 2021.02.04]

source: „The Trail of the Volhynia Crosses. Around Huta Stepańska with Janusz Horoszkiewicz”; in: portal: Fr Tadeusz Isakowicz-Zaleski — web page: isakowicz.pl [accessible: 2021.04.11]

Siemaszko et Siemaszko  […] do not mention the village of Lipna. There is Lipnik (3 colonies), Lipniki (7 villages), Lipno district Lutsk (p. 623), Lipno district Sarny (p. 807). They do not mention the above murder in any of them.

source: Żurek Stanisław, „75th anniversary of the genocide – December 1943”; in: portal: Volhynia — web page: wolyn.org [accessible: 2021.02.04]

source: Siemaszko Władysław, Siemaszko Ewa, „The genocide perpetrated by Ukrainian nationalists on the Polish population of Volhynia 1939 - 1945”, in: Warsaw 2000

Second story: „Fortunat Przybyszewski with his son Jan and son–in–law went to cultivate a field in Dolna Dąbrowa near Derażne. Earlier they had already moved to Huta Stepańska for fear of ubiquitous murders. When they were returning along the forest road, the son–in–law recognized the Ukrainians he knew from a distance, without waiting he jumped off the wagon and ran into the bushes. Fortunate had no way to run away, or maybe he did not believe that his friends could hurt him, Jan stayed with his dad. The son–in–law heard the shot, ran to Basiński, Helena's father, a relative in Koźle. On the second day, «Messy» NN, from Biały Pole, went and brought the murdered. Basiński made simple coffins in the barn, they loaded them on a wagon and took them to Huta Stepańska. Helena was the last to see her home then, they escaped following the coffins. Koźle was abandoned by Poles, a total of about 10 people were killed at the hands of the Banderites. The Ukrainians burned down the abandoned colony at the beginning of July, earlier they stole everything they could, they also demolished houses. They did not sow, they did not build, they did reap, but they did not make much of it”.

source: Żurek Stanisław, „75th anniversary of the genocide – December 1943”; in: portal: Volhynia — web page: wolyn.org [accessible: 2021.02.04]

source: „The Trail of the Volhynia Crosses. Around Huta Stepańska with Janusz Horoszkiewicz”; in: portal: Fr Tadeusz Isakowicz-Zaleski — web page: isakowicz.pl [accessible: 2021.04.11]

Regarding the colony Dolina Dąbrowa (Dolna Dąbrowa), Kostopol W. and E. Siemaszko write on p. 212: „In April 1943, the UPA murdered Przybyszewski, who returned to his farm after an earlier escape.” They only document this one victim. On p. 623 they say that in March 1943 in Koźle during the raid, the UPA burnt many farms, they do not write about the victims. In April, Hieronim Janicki was murdered. Around June 20, the UPA murdered 4 Poles: Józef Chorążyczewski, 35, Marceli Horoszkiewicz, 39, Jan Horoszkiewicz, 18, and Rozalia Przybyszewska, 30. At the end of June or at the beginning of July, they burned down 27 farms.

source: Żurek Stanisław, „75th anniversary of the genocide – December 1943”; in: portal: Volhynia — web page: wolyn.org [accessible: 2021.02.04]

source: Siemaszko Władysław, Siemaszko Ewa, „The genocide perpetrated by Ukrainian nationalists on the Polish population of Volhynia 1939 - 1945”, in: Warsaw 2000

The Ukrainians murdered Hieronim Janicki.

source: Żurek Stanisław, „75th anniversary of the genocide – April 1943”; in: portal: Volhynia — web page: btx.home.pl [accessible: 2021.02.04]

The Ukrainians murdered 4 Poles.

source: Żurek Stanisław, „Calendar of the genocide – year 1943 June and the first half of the year”; in: portal: Volhynia — web page: wolyn.org [accessible: 2021.02.04]