MFA announces exhumations of Ukrainian victims of Volhynia tragedy in Poland
Illustrative photo: exhumation of Volhynia tragedy victims to take place on Polish territory (Getty Images)
Ukraine may begin exhumations of Ukrainian victims of the Volhynia tragedy on Polish territory as early as the end of September. Significant progress has been made with Warsaw on issues of national memory, states Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha at a press conference with Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski.
According to Sybiha, during the meeting with Sikorski, they noted significant progress in addressing sensitive issues of historical memory.
"There are already several completed exhumation cases in Ukraine — in Puzhnyky and Zboishcha. By the end of September, we expect work to begin in Jureczkowa, in Poland," the Foreign Minister added.
He said he agreed with his Polish counterpart to continue fostering constructive dialogue on historical issues, since finding understanding on such matters is necessary for the future, unity, and strength of both countries.
"Our peoples deserve an alliance. We expect the Ukrainian-Polish forum of historians to resume its work as a platform for researching complex topics," Sybiha emphasized.
The Volhynia tragedy involved mutual ethnic cleansing between the UPA (Ukrainian Insurgent Army) and the Polish Home Army. The main events took place in the Volhynian Voivodeship (today — Volhynia region of Ukraine) and adjacent areas of the Lublin, Podlaskie, and Lubaczów voivodeships, which are now part of Poland.
Exhumations in Ukraine
On June 11, Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications announced that Poland had been granted official permission to carry out exhumation work in the former village of Zboishcha (now part of Lviv), where Polish servicemen were buried.
At that time, exhumations were already being conducted in the village of Puzhnyky in the Ternopil region.
