Poland and Ukraine will start exhuming the victims of the Volhynia massacre at the end of April in the western Ternopil region of Ukraine, a representative of the Ukrainian Foundation of Volhynian Antiquities has told PAP.
The 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.
Alina Kharlamova said the work will take place in the village of Sadove, previously known as Puzhnyky, one of many locations where the massacre took place. It is believed the last murders were carried out in the village in 1945.
"The exhumation of the remains of civilians, the locals of the former Puzhnyky village, will begin on April 24," she said, adding the process is expected to last around three weeks.
Historical documents suggest up to 79 people are buried in the village, Kharlamova said on Wednesday.
DNA testing will also be conducted on the remains and Poland’s representatives have already collected samples from family members, she told PAP.
The exhumation process has been at a standstill since 2017 because of a moratorium, which was ultimately lifted in November 2024.
