In 1939 ministered in a parish whose seat was a small village in the Lubaczów district of the Lviv voivodeship, in the middle of one of the Roztocze forest complexes. It was inhabited by c. 800 people, of whom Greek Catholic Rusysns/Ukrainians constituted c. 64%, Roman Catholic Poles c. 33%, and there were c. 25 Jews.

After the German and Russian attack on Poland in 09.1939 and the beginning of World War II, Miłków found itself — under the genocidal Russian‐German „friendship” treaty of 23.08.1939, known as the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact — under Russian occupation. The Russian‐German border de facto ran just behind the village. In 01.1941, all inhabitants — Poles and Rusyns — were expelled to Bessarabia, from 07.1940 occupied by the Russians, pursuant to the Russian resolution of 03.04.1940, regarding an 800‐meter strip along western border. They were settled to a former German village, whose inhabitants were resettled by the Germans prob. to the Germ. Reichsgau Wartheland (Eng. Reich Wartheland district), i.e. occupied Greater Poland, from where in 1939‐1940 they deported thousands of Poles to the German‐occupied and run quasi‐state called the Germ. Generalgouvernement (Eng. General Governorate), i.e. GG — the border in Miłków was then the border between the territory occupied by the Russians and the GG itself. German–Russian friendship flourished.

Prob. avoided deportation and remained in the part of his eparchy that was under Russian occupation. Perhaps had already moved to the village of Surochów, c. 25 km to the south, on the right bank of the San River. Perhaps, however, it happened later, after the German attack on 22.06.1941, on their erstwhile ally, the Russians, and the beginning of the German occupation, and remained in the parish for some time, although no longer living in Miłków itself.

It seems certain that in 1943 was already in Surochów. It was a larger village, in 1939 inhabited by c. 1,900 people, of whom Greek Catholic Rusyns constituted c. 84%, Roman Catholic Poles c. 14%, and Jews numbered c. 54. In 1943, the population increased to 2,013. The village was incorporated into the Germ. Kreishauptmannschaft Jaroslau (Eng. Jarosław County) in the Germ. Distrikt Krakau (Eng. Kraków District), which was part of the GG.

There were no Jews there anymore — at the beginning of 08.1942 they were prob. driven to Jarosław, c. 5 km away, across a temporary bridge over the San River, because the brick bridge was prob.destroyed in 1939. From there to the POW camp in Pełkinie, c. 8 km from Jarosław — the Germans held c. 30,000 Russian prisoners there, 6,000 of whom were to died of hunger and disease — through which c. 9,000 Jews passed at that time. Finally, after a few days, all of the Jews were transported to the Germ. Vernichtungslager (Eng. Extermination camp) VL Belzec, where they were murdered in gas chambers — as part of the German genocidal plan Germ. «Endlösung der Judenfrage» (Eng. Final Solution of the Jewish Question), which in the GG was carried out under the German codename Germ. «Aktion Reinhardt» (Eng. Operation Reinhardt).

Shortly afterwards, in 02.1943, when Roman Shukhevych, nom de guerre „Taras Chuprynka”, the chief commander of the Ukrainian, genocidal OUN/UPA organisation, who in 1941 was a member of the Ukrainian Germ. Sondergruppe Nachtigall (Eng. Special Group Nightingale) — a unit of the Germ. Wehrmacht (Eng. Armed Forces) that took part in the German attack on Russians in 1941, accused of participating in the Jewish pogrom in Lviv in 1941 — and later a member of the Germ. Schutzmannschaftsbataillon 201 (Eng. 201st Protection team Battalion) — responsible for the murder of Jews and civilians in the territory of Belarus — issued an order: „The extermination operation should be carried out according to the following principles: Polish villages are to be burned, and their populations massacred. Attacks on towns will take place in broad daylight, not at night. In mixed villages, the Polish population alone should be liquidated, and farmsteads should be burned only if they are 15 meters away and when there is no risk of the fire spreading to neighboring Ukrainian buildings. The Ukrainian population will receive instructions as to where to gather during the attack […] For every Ukrainian murdered, whether by Poles or Germans, 100 (one hundred) Poles will be executed”.

It was the de facto signal for the commencement of the «Genocidium Atrox» — i.e. the genocide perpetrated by Ukrainians, known as „Volyn genocide”.

Immediately thereafter, in 03.1943, the UPA issued an appeal to members of the Germ. Ukrainische Hilfspolizei (Eng. Ukrainian Auxiliary Police), collaborating with Germans, in some regions also referred to as the Germ. Schutzmannschaft (Eng. Protection Battalions), i.e. Schuma, which co‐participated in the German genocidal plan Germ. «Aktion Reinhardt», to desert and join the UPA ranks. Perhaps as many as 10,000 Ukrainians did so.

Volyn was drenched in Polish blood. Tens of thousands of Poles were murdered by the Ukrainians — with German passivity — in an extremely barbaric manner. Hundreds of villages were burned.

In 1943, the OUN/UPA formally operated only in Volyn, on the territory of the Germ. Reichskommissariat Ukraine (Eng. Reich Commissariat of Ukraine), so Shukhevych's order did not cover — it would seem — the Germ. Distrikt Krakau in GG. However, Shukhevych — in order not to „annoy” the Germans — founded another group in the GG, operating under the euphemistic Ukrainian name Ukr. Українська Народна Самооборона (Eng. Ukrainian National Self‐Defense), i.e. UNS, reinforced by deserters from the Germ. Ukrainische Hilfspolizei and Schuma, seasoned in the genocide of Jews. Its main goal, like the OUN/UPA, was the extermination of the Polish population, although its internal documentation and reports ostentatiously stated „defense against the terror of the German authorities”. When at the turn of 1943/1944 it became clear that the Germans were losing the war in the east — on 24.12.1943, a large‐scale Russian offensive began, known as the Dnieper–Carpathian Operation — the OUN/UPA decided to extend the «Genocidium Atrox» to the GG the Germ. Distrikt Krakau. And then Shukhevych liquidated the fiction and transformed the UNS units into the OUN/UPA genocidal units. In 01.1944, Vasyl Sydor, nom de guerre „Shelest” became the commander of the OUN/UPA operational group „UPA‐West”, and ordered „to strike continuously at Poles until they are completely destroyed from these lands”. One of the main leaders of the „UPA‐West” group, genocide killer Miroslav Onyshkevych, nom de guerre „Orest”, clarified the tasks of the UPA units subordinate to him on 06.04.1944: „I order the immediate purging of my region of the Polish element […] The purging should be carried out in the sparsely populated areas by Poles. For this purpose, a militia group composed of our members should be established in the area, whose task would be to eliminate the above‐mentioned. Larger areas will be purged of this element by our military units even in broad daylight […] Fight them hard and ruthlessly. Spare no one, even in the case of mixed marriages. Pull the Poles out of their homes, but do not eliminate the Ukrainians and children in these houses […] Take out your weapons. Death to the Poles”.

On 27.07.1944, the Russians captured Jarosław as part of an offensive known as the Lviv–Sandomierz Operation. The Russian occupation also began in his village on the same day.

At the end of 1944, the OUN/UPA began to become active in the vicinity of his village. The area between the so‐called Curzon–Namier line and the San, i.e. between the Bug and San rivers, referred to by Ukrainians as Zakerzonia, was considered by the OUN/UPA to be the western part of the future Ukrainian state. The Curzon–Namier line was a demarcation line between Poland and the Russian Bolsheviks, proposed to the Russians on 11.07.1920, by the British Foreign Secretary, George Curzon, during the great Russian offensive during the Polish–Russian War of 1919‐1921, suggested by the so‐called expert, Lewis Bernstein Namier, a Jew of Polish origin. Russia — contrary to the plans of the British imperialists — suffered defeat in 1920, but the concept of the Curzon–Namier line, running through the center of Poland, became a cause célèbre for all imperialists for the division of Central Europe, especially the Russian and German ones. The OUN/UPA began e.g. attacking the Polish village of Wiązownica, c. 10 km north of Surochów.

And then, in 09.1944, was arrested, prob. by agents of the Russian, genocidal NKVD, following the Russian army and introducing Russian occupational orders in the conquered territories. The reasons for his arrest are unknown, but it is known that was held in prison in Yaroslavl. Released in 03.1945. One witness recalled: „He returned from prison with long hair and a beard”.

Meanwhile, when another major Russian offensive began in 01.1945, the Vistula–Oder Operation, which de facto led to Germany's defeat, the Russians began massive deportation operations, in line with standard Russian practice of solving social and national problems. Hundreds of thousands of Poles were deported from the east and resettled west, to territories that had belonged to Germany before World War II, while Ukrainians were resettled from the newly established Polish‐Russian republic, called prl — which included e.g. the area between the Bug and San rivers — to the territory directly occupied by the Russians. At the same time, genocidal Russian organizations, such as the NKVD or the Russian‐controlled Commie‐Nazi UB, pursued Polish underground and partisan units, those that chose or were forced to choose the path of armed partisan resistance after the dissolution of the largest underground resistance organization in German‐occupied Europe, the Home Army AK (part of the Polish Clandestine State), on 19.01.1945, by the Polish government in exile in London. From then on, these units, faithful to their oath to the Republic of Poland, today referred to as „cursed soldiers”, fought not only against the Russian occupier, but also against the Ukrainian genocidal organization OUN/UPA. OUN/UPA on the other hand, implementing the «Genocidium Atrox» plan to exterminate the Polish population, deprived of German protective umbrella, was forced to defend and fight on many fronts: against the occupying Russian troops, Polish units of the Commie‐Nazi prl, and also Polish partisan units.

In this situation, in mid‐–03.1945, the post of the commander of the OUN/UPA WO‐6 Military District „Syan”, which encompassed Zakerzonia, was taken by the above‐mentioned genocide‐murderer Miroslav Onyshkevych, nom de guerre „Orest”. The chief of staff of WO‐6 „Syan”was Ivan Szpontak, nom de guerre „Zalizniak”. On 17.04.1945, Szpontak's unit attacked the aforementioned village of Wiązownica. C. 91‐130 village inhabitants were murdered, over 100 farms were burned down, which constituted almost half of the houses in the village. Wiązownica was saved from a larger massacre by a counterattack of the Polish self‐defense, organized by the local Roman Catholic parish priest, Fr Joseph Miś, and the arrival of a partisan unit of the National Military Union NZW — formed after the dissolution of the AK, by soldiers of the AK and the National Military Organization NOW pursued by the Russian occupiers, whose goals included, among others, „liberation of Poland from Soviet occupation and influence”, and a declaration that „We do not give up the fight for Greater Poland and bow under the pressure of the terror of Soviet Russia and its agents” — under the command of Bronislav Gliniak, nom de guerre „Radwan”.

The very next day, another NZW unit, under the command of Józef Zadzierski, nom de guerre „Volynyak”," carried out the pacification of the Ukrainian village of Piskorowice, c. 30 km north of Surochów, described as a „terrorist–cleansing action”. C. 120‐173 people were murdered, including women and children. According to some historians, „a characteristic feature of this crime is the kinship of the majority of the victims” with members of the OUN/UPA and Ukrainian formations that had previously collaborated with the Germans, which may indicate that proscription lists had been prepared in advance and that collective responsibility had been applied.

And then was murdered.

A report by the head of the Commie‐Nazi, criminal Security Service UB, subordinate to the Russian genocidal NKVD, states: „A 150‐person sabotage group under the command of a notorious AK terrorist, nom de guerre "Radwan", attacked the Surochów community in Jarosław County, where they murdered seven people of Ukrainian nationality.

[…] They then kidnapped Greek Catholic priest Michael Płachta, his wife, and son”.

Another witness recalled: „Our priest Płachta was arrested. He had a wife and a boy, Jurek, c. 8 or 9‐years‐old […] The priest was at home. He was taken here… We hadn"t yet returned home after mass when the bells rang throughout the village. Apparently, the attack was supposed to take place when people were in the church, but the attackers were a bit late”.

Was allegedly dragged with his wife and son to the nearby villages of Piwoda and then Szówsko, c. 4‐6 km from Surochów, and shot there together with them. According to Ukrainian sources, they were tortured, and his wife raped.

The operation was prob. carried out by the unit of the aforementioned Bronislav Gliniak, nom de guerre „Radwan”, subordinate to the commander of the NZW „San” group, Francis Przysiężniak, nom de guerre „Father Jan”, who then on 05/07.05.1945, fought one of the largest Polish battles against the Russian occupiers and defeated a column of NKVD troops near Kuryłówka.

On 12.10.2007, the génocidaire Roman Shukhevych was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine. On 10.12.2017, on behalf of the „Coordination Council for the Commemoration of Decorated Knights of the OUN and UPA”, génocidaire Vasyl Sydor was posthumously awarded in Lviv the Silver Cross of Military Merit of the UPA, 1st Class (No. 009). In several locations, monuments and commemorative plaques have been erected to these Lat. „hostis humani generis”, the schools were named after them.

Lat. „O Tempora! O mores!”