The first exhumations of Polish victims of World War II-era ethnic cleansing in what is now western Ukraine will begin this spring, Ukraine’s ambassador to Poland, Vasyll Bodnar announced on Saturday.
The Volhynian massacre refers to the 1943–44 killing of around 100,000 Polish civilians by Ukrainian nationalist forces. The event remains a source of tension between Poland and Ukraine.
Bodnar said work will start in Puznyky once weather conditions allow it but the time frame remains uncertain.
“We don’t know exactly when, but we are getting ready. If the weather permits, all permits have been issued, and the Polish team is prepared to start these actions,” he told Polish private broadcaster TVN24.
Bodnar said efforts to identify additional exhumation sites are ongoing on both Polish and Ukrainian territory.
Kyiv is partially financing the exhumation work on its territory. “Local authorities and our Institute of National Remembrance have declared they will co-fund these efforts, but most of the funding comes from Poland,” the ambassador said.
The decision to lift the ban on Polish-led searches and exhumations was announced in November 2024 during a joint press conference by Poland’s Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski and his Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha. Ukraine confirmed there were “no obstacles” to Polish institutions and private entities conducting exhumation work in cooperation with Ukrainian authorities.
Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk welcomed the decision, writing on social media in January: “The first exhumations of Polish victims of the UPA have been approved. Thanks to the culture ministers of Poland and Ukraine for their cooperation. We await further decisions.”
Bodnar said work will start in Puznyky once weather conditions allow it but the time frame remains uncertain.
“We don’t know exactly when, but we are getting ready. If the weather permits, all permits have been issued, and the Polish team is prepared to start these actions,” he told Polish private broadcaster TVN24.
Bodnar said efforts to identify additional exhumation sites are ongoing on both Polish and Ukrainian territory.
Kyiv is partially financing the exhumation work on its territory. “Local authorities and our Institute of National Remembrance have declared they will co-fund these efforts, but most of the funding comes from Poland,” the ambassador said.
The decision to lift the ban on Polish-led searches and exhumations was announced in November 2024 during a joint press conference by Poland’s Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski and his Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha. Ukraine confirmed there were “no obstacles” to Polish institutions and private entities conducting exhumation work in cooperation with Ukrainian authorities.
Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk welcomed the decision, writing on social media in January: “The first exhumations of Polish victims of the UPA have been approved. Thanks to the culture ministers of Poland and Ukraine for their cooperation. We await further decisions.”
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