Exhumations of Volyn tragedy victims to begin this spring, Ukraine's ambassador to Poland says
Vasyl Bodnar, Ukraine's Ambassador to Poland, has confirmed that work on the exhumation of the victims of the Volyn tragedy will begin this spring. [The Volyn (Volhynia) tragedy was a series of events that led to the ethnic cleansing of the Polish and Ukrainian populations in 1943 during World War II. It was part of a long-standing rivalry between Ukrainians and Poles in what is now Ukraine's west. Poland considers the Volyn tragedy a genocide of Poles – ed.]
Source: Bodnar on Polish news channel TVN24, as reported by European Pravda
Details: "We intend to begin exhuming the victims of the Volyn massacre this spring at the first approved site in Puzhnyky. Efforts are also underway to secure decisions for exhumations at all other locations in both Ukraine and Poland," he said.
When asked if the exhumations in Puzhnyky would begin in April, Bodnar said, "We don't know the exact month yet, but we are making preparations so that, weather permitting, all necessary authorisations are secured and the Polish team is ready to proceed".
"Ukrainian law stipulates that a Ukrainian company must be licensed to carry out such work and the Polish side already has such a partner (...)
This collaboration is advancing with a Ukrainian institution that has obtained all the necessary permits and once the teams begin excavation together, the public will be informed and an official announcement will be made through the ministers of culture," Bodnar said.
Background:
Earlier, it was reported that Poland's Freedom and Democracy Foundation, which discovered the burial site in Puzhnyky two years ago, had obtained permission from the Ukrainian authorities to exhume the remains and carry out further research.
Reports indicate that approximately 80 people lost their lives in Puzhnyky during the tragic events of 1945.
In early January, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced a "breakthrough" in the exhumation of the victims of the Volyn tragedy, though he did not disclose any details.
On the other hand, Andrii Nadzhos, Ukraine's Deputy Minister of Culture for European Integration, said that Ukraine and Poland had exchanged lists of places to search for and exhume the remains of mutual historical conflicts.
At the end of November, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski and his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha issued a joint statement confirming that Ukraine had no objections to Polish state institutions and organisations conducting search and exhumation work.
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