24-04-2025
Exhumation of remains of Poles killed in 1945 begins in Ukraine's Ternopil Oblast
The exhumation of the bodies of Polish citizens who were killed in 1945 began in Ukraine's Ternopil Oblast on 24 April, at the site of the disappeared village of Puzhnyky. [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: European Pravda with reference to the Polish radio station RMF FM
Details: A Polish-Ukrainian team of researchers, including forensic doctors, archaeologists, geneticists, and anthropologists, is carrying out the exhumation work.
On the Polish side, researchers from the Freedom and Democracy Foundation, scientists from the Pomeranian Medical University, and representatives of the Institute of National Remembrance are working on the site. Representatives of the Ukrainian foundation Volyn Antiquities are also participating in the work.
"Polish citizens, whose identities have been established, were killed in Puzhnyky. We want to identify all the victims of that tragic night in 1945 and give them a decent burial. This is what their families are waiting for, and they are involved in the process, for example, by providing us with genetic material [for comparison]," said Maciej Wróbel, State Secretary of the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, before the exhumation began.
It is estimated that around 80 people were killed in Puzhnyky during the tragic events of 1945.
The work is not easy, as the cemetery and mass grave, the place where the exhumations are carried out, are located in the middle of a forest. Transporting several tonnes of specialised equipment was a challenge.
Rainy weather could have made the road more difficult. However, the weather is sunny this morning in Ternopil Oblast.
Background:
In response to the mass destruction of Ukrainian monuments in Poland in 2015-2017 and the insufficient investigation of these crimes, Ukraine imposed moratoriums on the search and exhumation of the remains of Poles killed in 1943-1945 by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army.
For years, the issue of exhumations has been a bone of contention in relations between Ukraine and Poland. The new Polish government, headed by Donald Tusk, put pressure on Kyiv to lift the moratorium.
Warsaw even said that the resolution of historical disputes would be a prerequisite for Ukraine's accession to the EU.
It became known in January that the Freedom and Democracy Foundation, which discovered the Puzhnyky grave site two years ago, had received permission from the Ukrainian authorities to dig up the remains and conduct further research.
This news comes after Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced a breakthrough in the exhumation of the victims of the Volyn tragedy earlier this year.
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