At. On the 13th, about 100 UPA from nearby villages, armed with shovels, axes, pitchforks, scythes, knives, ropes and some firearms, entered on horse–drawn carts. One of the UPA commanders, Ivan Zhuk from Vygranka, was with his 14‑year‑old son. During the slaughter, most of the victims were tortured, mutilated, and women were raped en masse. Children were tied by their hands to trees and torn apart, thrown alive into wells, etc. The wounded, still alive, were buried. 260 victims were found. The village was plundered and burnt, including the chapel. „It was Monday – July 12, 1943. In the morning the news broke that the day before, in Porycko and Kisielin, all Poles were murdered, including the faithful gathered in churches during Sunday services. It got very nervous, the impending tragedy was widely felt. Most of the houses consulted what to do next and what to do. Around noon, carts on which Ukrainians, dressed in plain clothes and armed, started to enter the village. Here and there people were comforted and reassured that they were only passing through Zagaje. Unfortunately, it was wrong. Soon, shots rang out, and houses were set on fire on either side of the village. As it turned out, the settlement was surrounded by the Ukrainians from neighboring towns. Peasants armed with shovels and axes walked in the first line. In the second line they advanced, armed with scythes, pitchforks, and knives. The third line was formed by horse riders, holding their rifles ready to fire. The first and second lines were murdering horribly. If anyone managed to break through, bullets hit him on the third or, chased by a rider, he was strangled with a rope. The cruelty of the attackers is evidenced by the fact that one of the villagers who was grazing horses, after being caught, had his tongue cut out and his eyes gouged out, and then mockingly asked if he knew who did it. Ukrainian criminals left him in a pool of blood to die in agony and left. The villagers panicked and began to flee anywhere. At that time, Jadwiga Bracław and her husband Józef were shooting ropes in the yard, and the children (Miecio – 6 years old and Kazia – 2 years old) were staying in the Szubert house. Having realized what was going on, they also managed to get to the Szubert house, where they hid in the basement hiding place. Earlier, Jadwiga tried to save her in–laws Władysław Bracław and his wife Zofia (née Szubert), persuading them to hide in the basement of their neighbors. Władysław Bracław stated firmly that he had never done anything bad to anyone, He has done no harm to anyone, therefore he has no reason to fear and is confident about his and his wife's fate. They were both brutally murdered and buried (covered with a thin layer of sand) in their own yard. Meanwhile, well over 30 people took refuge in the Szuberts' basement. It was unfortunate that among the attackers there was a carpenter apprentice, a certain Miszka, who previously worked for Stanisław Szubert, and among other things he helped dig and build the cellar hiding place. This bandit, perfectly aware of the layout of the Szuberts' house, lifted the lid covering the entrance, and when the light streaming into the basement lured a four‑year‑old boy who climbed the ladder first, he shot him in cold blood. The people gathered in the basement fell into panic and, panicking for their lives, They started to climb outside through a tiny window, used to pour potatoes. All of them died from scythes, knives, forks and axes or from the bullets of UPA bandits. Only eight people remained in the basement. The murderers, being sure that everyone in the dungeon had escaped, fired a few shots into its depths, and then departed to continue their criminal practice. The attack lasted about 3 hours. All this time, hidden in the basement of the Szuberts' house, they heard the pleas and groans of the murdered, the murderers' quarrels during the robbery of Poles' property (the rule was simple: who murdered the most people, took the most of their belongings), hurriedly burying the victims in a common pit, drunken boasts about who how he killed the most Poles and setting fire to houses, pigsties and barns. Many of these voices belonged to acquaintances, sometimes even friends, Ukrainians. After many hours of tormenting uncertainty, in the deep night, taking advantage of the fact that the storm broke out, hidden in the basement, they decided to leave their asylum and, through the garden, reach the nearby wheat and hemp. The first to leave were Stanisław Szubert with his son–in–law, Janek Bracław. After them, in a moment of confusion, 6‑year‑old Miecio Bracław emerged from his hideout. Other men left the basement, including Józef Bracław – Jadwiga's husband and Mieczysław's father. Jadwiga Bracław and her two‑year‑old daughter Kazia were the last to leave the hideout. All of them, one by one, made their way to the nearby grain, where, unfortunately, they got lost. Wandering through the fields, often on his knees or even crawling, constantly watching out for Ukrainian patrols who gladly murdered fleeing Poles after many vicissitudes, mother and daughter reached Stojanów, 15 km away. From there, after about a week's stay, Jadwiga and Kazia managed to get to Lviv, where Józef Bracław was waiting for them. Unfortunately, Miecia was nowhere to be found  […] So when in September 1943 the German army appeared in Zagaje and the surrounding towns, four refugees – Jadwiga Bracław among them – decided to return to their home village and look around. Landscape after battle, or rather – to call it a spade – after genocide. On July 12, 1943, in just a few hours, the Bandera followers, in an extremely cruel way, murdered about 260 inhabitants of the village of Zagaje. Among others, 19 people from the Ziemiański family (the youngest Albina was 2 years old, the eldest Zofia – 83), 16 Bracławs (including the 7–month–old Józio!) and as many as 58 Szuberts (including just a three–day–old newborn !!!). The village has changed beyond recognition. Only ruins and rubble, a great fire, a sea of blood and tears, one huge cemetery remain! All the wells were filled with the bodies of children (according to the logic of UPA bandits, a bullet was a pain for a child!). Some of the victims were buried in a mass pit behind the Szuberts' barn, some bodies lay where the murderers had left them, covered only with a thin layer of sand, the remains of others were dragged away by hungry dogs. The most painful thing was to identify the bodies of the closest relatives. Ziemiański recognized his two little daughters in the neighbors' well. dresses. It was a paradox that 19 young inhabitants of Zagaje only survived the war because they were sent to work in Germany. The expelled inhabitants caught grazing geese and horses, took the remnants of food and belongings, threshed some grain, then loaded them all on carts and took them to Stojanów, and from there further to Lviv. The body of her son Miecia Jadwiga Bracław has not been found. On the one hand, this fact calmed her down a bit, but on the other hand, it disturbed her and terribly tormented him, because if he was not killed by UPA bandits, then where did his beloved son go ?! At that time, Jadwiga Bracław did not know yet that this thought would haunt her until the end of her life”.

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

source: Beling Zbyszek, „Volhynia slaughter. Zagaje - a true story”; in: portal: PiasstowskaKorona — web page: www.piastowskakorona.pl [accessible: 2013.12.16]

Suddenly, shots rang out from all sides, there was no one left on the carts, people started screaming. My father ran into the yard, he shouted to my mother „Run after me with” children (there were five of us). I started running after my father into the field, not knowing that my mother and her siblings stayed in the yard. After running two hundred meters, my father turned back and took me in his arms, saying „We cannot run any further, because the village is surrounded by the Ukrainians armed with pitchforks, scythes and” shovels. We entered the grain, which fortunately had not yet been mowed, it gave shelter to a dozen people. We sat in the crops until dark, heard screams, moans, shooting, the village was partially on fire. Under the cover of night, my father took me in his arms, we left the grain and walked towards Stojanów [district Radziechów, province. Tarnopolskie], 10 km from our village. We only walked through the fields, because the Ukrainians traveled on the roads on horses or in carts. We entered Stojanów at dawn, we felt safe there. I was wet with dew, and my legs, barefoot, were terribly cut. We got on the road and my father said „We were left alone, they are all dead” and he cried a lot, I cried the whole way too. My father took his first steps to the church, to the presbytery, he woke up the priest and told him what had happened. The priest put on his coat, climbed the bell tower and began to ring the bells, people started to converge asking what had happened. The priest announced that the Banderites had murdered everyone in Zagaje. He asked people to enter the church, because he would celebrate a service for the murdered. Everyone entered the church and we too with them, I kept crying because I was cold, I was all wet and my legs were badly cut. A woman came up to me and covered me with a large handkerchief. When I got a little warm, I fell asleep. I don't remember when they took me out of church, I woke up in bed, dressed and dry. It was probably around noon, I went out into the street and saw my father. He was standing with his cousin's husband, Antoni Szubert, who also escaped himself, his cousin was murdered. He found two of his daughters after two weeks in Lviv, they ran away with their aunt and grandmother. After some time, other survivors began to arrive, the future Mrs. Pikotowska with three sons and a little four‑year‑old s/o her brother Sigismud Madura. Both parents of the little one were murdered, Ms. Pikotowska's parents and nineteen‑year‑old daughter Weronika, were also murdered. There was a big cry, where to go and what to do? After three days, my father and I left for Lviv, and more precisely to Sichów [village and estate, commune Sichów, county Lviv] near Lviv. A young boy lived there with his parents, his name was Mietek, he stayed with us when he came to Zagaj for food. After two weeks in Lviv, the father found his brother Stanisław Ziemiański with his wife and son, sister Katarzyna Szubert with her husband and one son, because the other was taken to work in Germany in 1942. Nobody was saved from my mother's side, all of them died. After two months, my father with his brother and brother–in–law and a few more men went to Horochów, and from there to Zagaj. What I remembered, as my father told me, was terrible – the village was partially burnt, the wells were all filled with children, my two sisters were thrown into the wells of my neighbors, my father recognized them by their dresses  […] After 51 years, I found myself back in my native land. I ran away as an 8‑year‑old child, and returned as a 59‑year‑old woman, tired of life, terrible experiences and misfortunes. Nothing was left from my village of Zagaje, beetroot was growing on one side of the road and grass mowed on the other. It was a village with beautiful orchards, 50 farms disappeared. At the sight of this, I was shocked, I walked this road, lit candles every few meters on both sides, screamed out of despair and pain, why did this happen? and for what such cruelty? what do these children, women, old men owe?  […] Ukraine, I accuse you of genocide, you will never be a happy nation, you will live with this shame forever. terrible experiences and misfortunes. Nothing was left from my village of Zagaje, beetroot was growing on one side of the road and grass mowed on the other. It was a village with beautiful orchards, 50 farms disappeared. At the sight of this, I was shocked, I walked this road, lit candles every few meters on both sides, I screamed out of despair and pain, why did it happen? and for what such cruelty? what do these children, women and old men owe?  […] Ukraine, I accuse you of genocide, you will never be a happy nation, you will live with this shame forever. terrible experiences and misfortunes. Nothing was left from my village of Zagaje, beetroot was growing on one side of the road and grass mowed on the other. It was a village with beautiful orchards, 50 farms disappeared. At the sight of this, I was shocked, I walked this road, lit candles every few meters on both sides, screamed out of despair and pain, why did this happen? and for what such cruelty? what do these children, women and old men owe?  […] Ukraine, I am accusing you of genocide, you will never be a happy nation, you will live with this shame forever. why did this happen? and for what such cruelty? what do these children, women and old men owe?  […] Ukraine, I am accusing you of genocide, you will never be a happy nation, you will live with this shame forever. why did this happen? and for what such cruelty? what do these children, women and old men owe?  […] Ukraine, I accuse you of genocide, you will never be a happy nation, you will live with this shame forever.

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

source: Mogielnicka Stanisława nee Ziemiańska, recollections; in: Siemaszko Władysław, Siemaszko Ewa, „The genocide perpetrated by Ukrainian nationalists on the Polish population of Volhynia 1939 - 1945”, in: Warsaw 2000, p. 1125

Wherever they could, they accepted it and supported them with whatever they could, these few people from Poluchno, and from Zagaj they fled to Druszkopol, to the German outpost, and from there to Lviv, whoever escaped alive. They attacked them in broad daylight, guarded them all night long, and the Ukrainians saw them that during the day, everyone earns money, they mow, then in the field with potatoes, then with hay. And with this whole front they attacked during the day at 12, and when on a farm, the cows are milking, they are baking bread, they are washing it. They sleep, what they guarded at night, and so found them almost defenseless. Whoever managed to grab a gun, shot himself when he reached the school, because only one school was made of brick, and the rest of the 120 buildings were under straw, some under the sheet metal. The bandits started murdering, smoking, whoever could, he reached the school and there were two teachers with their families. They had a lot of weapons, but enough to defend itself was not enough. They hacked from this brick building, but when they got to them, no one escaped alive and so many people from Zagaj came out that whoever was in the field, saved himself from the forest. As Dominik Broclov said that they and his wife were at the hay when they heard the shots, they immediately ran away to the forest, and four children were at home and the Ukrainians were murdered. Nobody expected that children would conquer Ukraine with such innocent blood. They sat in the forest for the day, and at night they came to Druszkopol and there a German station stood and brought them to Horochów. With Zagaj, out of 360 people, 40 were saved and the rest died in terrible torments. People were hacked to pieces with Ukrainian axes, and little babies were cut up by the legs and the wall until the brain sprang out, they were murdering them in such a horrible way. Some of you just had tiny twins, When the bandits came in, they say that they cannot give advice to one, and here they give birth to two more, and by the feet and the wall with their heads, until the head bursts. They murdered her husband and children in such a brutal way in front of his wife, and finally raped and murdered her.

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

source: Wolf Józefa z. d Zawilska, „Memories”; in: portal: Volhynia pages — web page: free.of.pl [accessible: 2021.04.11]

In the village there was a chapel from 1910 belonging to the Drużkopol parish. It was attacked by the UPA during a service and then burned. The number of Poles murdered in the chapel has not been established.

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

source: portal: WikipediA — web page: www.wikipedia.org [accessible: 2016.07.16]

W. and E. Siemaszko did not record the murder in the chapel.

source: Żurek Stanisław, „75th anniversary of the genocide – July 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