The Hurby tract is one of Ukraine’s most significant sites of national remembrance. It was here, amid the forests on the border between Volyn and Podillia, that the largest battle in the history of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) against the Soviet NKVD forces took place between 21 and 25 April 1944. These events became a symbol of the organised resistance of the Ukrainian liberation movement against the Soviet totalitarian regime.
In the spring of 1944, the German-Soviet front approached the Kremenets forests. The Soviet command launched a large-scale military operation aimed at destroying the insurgent formations operating in Volyn. Approximately 30,000–35,000 NKVD Internal Troops, supported by artillery, tanks, an armoured train, aircraft, and cavalry, were deployed for the operation. They were opposed by about 5,000 fighters from various UPA-North and UPA-South formations, assisted by local residents who supplied provisions, gathered intelligence, and cared for the wounded.
The main UPA forces were commanded by Petro Oliinyk (“Enei”) and Vasyl Kuk (“Lemish”), who would later become the last Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army. Aware of the enemy’s overwhelming superiority, the insurgents established defensive positions, field fortifications, and field hospitals. The fiercest fighting occurred on 24 April, when NKVD troops launched a major offensive following intensive artillery bombardment and supported by tanks. Despite continuous attacks, the insurgents managed to hold back the numerically superior Soviet forces for several days.
On 25 April, the UPA command decided to break out of the encirclement. The main assault was directed toward the village of Bushcha. Although the breakout involved fierce fighting, most insurgent units succeeded in escaping the encirclement and continued their resistance. The exact casualties on both sides remain the subject of historical research due to significant discrepancies between Soviet and Ukrainian sources. What remains undisputed is that, despite the Soviet forces’ overwhelming numerical and technological superiority, they failed to achieve the operation’s primary objective – the complete destruction of the UPA formations.
The route to Hurby passes through the picturesque natural sites of Zinkiv Kamin, Turova Mohyla, and Rynva. These landscapes form an integral part of the Kremenets forest massif. Wooded hills, deep ravines, and sandy forest roads not only create the unique atmosphere of the area but also explain why it became an important base of operations for the Ukrainian Insurgent Army. During the fighting, insurgents used the natural terrain for concealed movement, reconnaissance, and defensive operations.
After the war, Hurby became an important place of remembrance for the Ukrainian liberation movement. During the 1990s, the first official commemorative ceremonies and archaeological expeditions were organised here. Archaeologists discovered the remains of UPA fighters, which, following identification and religious ceremonies, were reburied on the battlefield.
In 2007, the Pantheon of Glory of the Heroes of the Battle of Hurby was inaugurated. This memorial complex has become one of the most important places in Ukraine dedicated to those who fought for the country’s independence. It includes a central monument crowned by the Column of the Protection of the Holy Mother of God, collective graves of UPA soldiers, memorial crosses, a chapel, an underground bunker museum, and the Church of the Resurrection of Christ. Separate memorials honour children who became victims of Soviet terror, as well as prominent commanders of the Ukrainian resistance.
Every year in April, on the anniversary of the battle, and on 14 October, the Day of the Defenders of Ukraine and the Feast of the Protection of the Holy Mother of God, thousands of people gather in Hurby. Memorial services, military-patriotic events, academic conferences, and youth training camps are held here. The memorial has become a place of remembrance for everyone who fought for Ukraine’s freedom.
Hurby is the final destination of the “In the Footsteps of the Princes of Ostroh” route. It is symbolic that a journey beginning among medieval castles and princely churches concludes at a place where, in the twentieth century, Ukrainians continued the struggle for the right to live in their own independent state.