Exhumation of Volhynia tragedy victims to begin in Ternopil region in April
Photo: Ukraine allows exhumation of victims of the Volhynia tragedy in Ternopil region (Getty Images)
Exhumation of the remains of Polish victims of the Volhynia tragedy, buried in the former village of Puzniki in Ternopil region, will begin in April, according to RMF FM.
The Polish Freedom and Democracy foundation, which discovered the burial site two years ago, has received permission from Ukrainian authorities to exhume the remains and conduct further research.
The goal of the exhumation is to identify the individuals whose remains were found in a pit near the former cemetery.
Maciej Dancewicz, deputy head of the Freedom and Democracy foundation, noted that after the excavation, the remains will be studied by Polish archaeologists and anthropologists. Specialists are already collecting genetic material from descendants.
"At the site where the remains are located, this material will also be collected in a professional manner," Dancewicz explained.
He stated that after the research, the victims are planned to be reburied, and the memory of this place will be honored.
During the Volhynia tragedy in February 1945, about 80 people were killed in Puzniki.
Exhumation of Volhynia tragedy victims
Poland has repeatedly raised the issue of exhuming victims of the Volhynia tragedy, the mutual ethnic cleansing carried out by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army and the Polish Home Army (Armia Krajowa).
On January 10, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced agreements regarding the first exhumations of Volhynia tragedy victims, a statement later confirmed by Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Kyiv and Warsaw have exchanged lists of locations where they will search for the remains of the victims for further exhumation. However, the exact locations have not been disclosed.
Read more about why the exhumation issue concerns Poland, read the material by RBC-Ukraine.
