Remains of around 30 Ukrainians killed in 1944 massacre discovered in Poland
The final death toll will be determined after further research (photo: Institute of National Memory/Facebook)
A Ukrainian search expedition has discovered the remains of approximately 30 people at an Orthodox cemetery in the village of Laskiv, in Poland's Lublin Voivodeship. The remains are believed to belong to Ukrainians killed during an attack by the Polish Home Army and Peasant Battalions in March 1944, according to the Institute of National Memory.
How many Ukrainians were killed in Laskiv
According to historical records, more than 300 people were killed in the massacre of Ukrainians in Laskiv on March 10, 1944. Researchers from Ukraine and Poland have identified 327 village residents who died that year. However, some historians estimate a higher death toll of around 350 people.
The final number of victims may be established through further historical research and search operations.
The search operations are being carried out at the request of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory. They are conducted by the municipal enterprise Dolya, which received the necessary authorization from the Polish authorities on August 31, 2026.
Sviatoslav Sheremeta, head of the Dolya municipal enterprise, noted that the preliminary search results confirm the accounts of former Laskiv residents who survived the events of March 1944.
According to him, the search for burial sites is expected to continue. The next stage will involve exhuming and reburying the victims' remains and honoring their memory.
Ukraine resumes searches in Poland
The search operations are being conducted under agreements reached by the Ukrainian-Polish working group on dignified burials.
This is the second Ukrainian search expedition in Poland after a lengthy break. In the fall of 2025, Ukrainian specialists worked in the village of Jureczkowa with official authorization from the Polish authorities.
The previous similar expeditions, during which human remains were discovered, took place in 2016.
Oleksandr Alfiorov, head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory, emphasized the importance of honoring all victims with dignity, regardless of their origin or nationality.
