in the 18th century Volyn was once part of the
Kievan Rus' before becoming an independent local principality and an integral part of the
Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia, one of Kievan Rus'
successor states. In the 15th century, the area came under the control of the neighbouring
Grand Duchy of Lithuania, in 1569 passing over to
Poland and then in 1795, until
World War I, to the
Russian Empire where it was a part of the
Volynskaya Guberniya. In the interwar period, most of the territory, organized as
Wołyń Voivodeship was under
Polish control. In 1939, when Poland was invaded and divided by
Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union following the
Molotov–Ribbentrop pact, Volyn was joined to
Soviet Ukraine, and on December 4, 1939, the oblast was organized. Many Ukrainians rejoiced at the "reunification", but the Polish minority suffered a cruel fate. Thousands of Poles, especially retired Polish officers and intelligentsia were deported to Siberia and other areas in the depths of the Soviet Union. A high proportion of these deportees died in the extreme conditions of Soviet labour camps and most were never able to return to Volyn again. In 1941, Volyn along with the Soviet Union was invaded by the
Nazi Germany's
Barbarossa Offensive. Nazis completed their
holocaust of the
Jews of Volhynia in late 1942. Partisan activity started in Volyn in 1941, soon after German occupation. Partisans were involved in the
Rail War against German supply lines and were known for their efficiency in gathering intelligence and for sabotage. The region formed the basis of several networks and many members of the local population served with the partisans. The Poles in the area became part of the
Polish Home Army, which often undertook operations with the partisan movement.
UPA initially supported Nazi Germany which had in turn supported them with financing and weaponry before the start of
World War II. Many served in the various RONA and SS units. Once they became disillusioned with the Nazi program, they independently began to target all non-Ukrainians (Poles, Jews, Russians, among others) for extermination. Some 30,000 to 60,000 Poles, Czechs, remaining Jews, and Ukrainians who tried to help others escape (Polish sources gave even higher figures) and later, around 2,000 or more Ukrainians were killed in retaliation (see
Massacres of Poles in Volhynia). In January 1944, the
Red Army recaptured the territory from the Nazis. In the immediate aftermath of World War II, the Polish Soviet border was redrawn based on the
Curzon line. Volyn, along with the neighbouring provinces became an integral part of the
Ukrainian SSR. Most Poles who remained in the eastern region were forced to leave to the
Recovered Territories of western Poland (the former easternmost provinces of Germany) whose German population had been expelled in accordance with the
Potsdam Agreement. The area underwent rapid industrialisation including the construction of the Lutsk automobile factory (LuAZ). Nevertheless, the area remains one of the most rural throughout the former Soviet Union. == Demography ==