Ukraine and Poland cooperate on new round of wartime exhumations
Photo: Ukraine plans to begin exhumations of Ukrainians in Poland in September (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
In September 2025, Ukraine plans to begin the exhumation of the remains of Ukrainians who were improperly buried in Poland, states Andrii Nadzhos, Deputy Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine for European Integration, in an interview with Ukrinform.
According to him, in December of last year, the two sides exchanged lists of possible sites for such work: the Polish side provided 13 locations, while the Ukrainian side listed four.
Currently, such work is underway in Zboishcha, Lviv, where the remains of Polish soldiers who died at the beginning of World War II are being exhumed.
"The Ukrainian side is preparing for similar work in Poland — in the village of Jureczkowa. We plan to carry out a preparatory visit there in mid-August and to begin the excavations in September. We want to finish before the start of the rainy season," Nadzhos said.
Exhumation of victims of the Volhynia Tragedy
In April, Ukraine began the exhumation of victims of the Volhynia Tragedy — Polish citizens who were killed in 1945.
This was the first exhumation of Volhynia Tragedy victims in many years.
In May, the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine reported that the remains of more than 30 individuals had already been found, and over 20 had been exhumed. In addition, a considerable number of artifacts were discovered and recovered, including buttons, shoes, and coins.
Also in August, joint Ukrainian-Polish search and exhumation work began at the site of the former cemetery in Zboishcha, Lviv.
Volhynia Tragedy
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), both of which were primarily active in the Volhynia region.
Between 1943 and 1944, ethnic cleansings of both Ukrainians and Poles took place — events that came to be known as the Volhynia Tragedy. The names of approximately 30,000 Polish victims and around 10,000 Ukrainian victims have been identified.
