The work of the Political Directorate of the 1st Ukrainian Front in the liberated areas of Poland (August 1944)

This article examines the content, forms, and specific activities of the 7th Department (Special Propaganda) of the Political Directorate of the 1st Ukrainian Front in the eastern and southeastern regions of Poland liberated from Nazi invaders during the Lvov-Sandomierz Offensive of 1944. Following an agreement between the Soviet government and the Polish Committee of National Liberation, Soviet troops refrained from interfering in the internal economic, political, cultural, and religious life of the population of the liberated territories. The latter experienced both the harsh consequences of the German occupation and the bloody consequences of the deterioration of interethnic relations. The German invaders exterminated the local Polish and Jewish population, stole livestock and other property, and deported residents to Germany, leading most Poles to greet the Red Army as a liberator. On the other hand, the mutual hatred between Poles and Ukrainians, stemming from the policies of both the pre-war Polish regime and the German occupiers, led to arson, expulsions, and outright genocide, committed by armed forces of both the OUN–UPA and the Home Army. Under these circumstances, the political organs of the 1st Ukrainian Front saw their task as conveying information about the Red Army's missions in Poland, official documents of the Soviet government, organizing the publication of periodicals, and familiarizing citizens with the culture of the Soviet Union.