Preparations underway in Poland for exhumation of victims of Volhynia tragedy - Media

The Polish Wolność i Demokracja (Freedom and Democracy) Foundation is completing the formation of its mission team. About 20 people, including several Ukrainians, will carry out the exhumations in total.

The team will include anthropologists, archaeologists, forensic experts, and a geneticist. The core of the mission will consist of experts from the Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, led by Professor Andrzej Ossowski.

As reported by RMF FM, representatives from the Polish Institute of National Remembrance will also join the team. Their role in the mission is still being determined.

Exhumation work of the victims of the Volhynia tragedy will begin in the second half of April in the village of Puzhnyky in the Ternopil region. According to the plan, the exhumation work will last approximately one month.

Anthropologists will be tasked with determining the age, sex, and cause of death, including whether it was a violent death. DNA samples will also be collected for comparative analysis.

The cost of the work is estimated at several hundred thousand zlotys. It is noted that about 80 Poles were killed in the village of Puzhnyky.

Historical disagreements between Ukraine and Poland

During World War II, under German occupation, several partisan groups operated in Ukraine. Among them were the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) and the Polish Home Army (Armia Krajowa). They primarily fought in Volhynia.

In 1943–1944, ethnic cleansing occurred between Ukrainians and Poles, known as the Volhynia tragedy. The names of approximately 30,000 Polish victims and around 10,000 Ukrainian victims have been identified.

At the end of November, the foreign ministers of the two countries issued a joint statement on exhumations. Ukraine confirmed that there were no obstacles to conducting exhumation work.