Ukrainian expedition begins search and exhumation work on Polish territory
Photo: Ukraine begins search and exhumation work on Polish territory (Radio Svoboda)
A Ukrainian expedition, consisting of researchers from the memorial and search center Dolya from Lviv, began search and exhumation work on Polish territory on September 30, Radio Svoboda informs.
According to reports, the expedition began investigating an area in the middle of a forest in the Carpathians, in the village of Jurkow (now Jureczkowa) in the Podkarpackie Voivodeship.
It is believed that up to 18 soldiers of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), who died in a battle with the Polish People’s Army in 1947, may be buried there.
According to Ukrainian specialists, the UPA fighters were defending the civilian Ukrainian population from forced deportation.
On the first day, heavy rain in the Bieszczady hindered the group from conducting active search operations. However, thanks to a motorized cultivator, they removed obstacles and are trying to clear up to a meter of soil to determine whether there are signs of disturbance.
A metal cross had previously been placed at the possible burial site, and this area is currently under investigation.
Photo: Ukrainian expedition begins search and exhumation work on Polish territory (Radio Svoboda)
Photo: Ukrainian expedition begins search and exhumation work on Polish territory (Radio Svoboda)
Photo: Ukrainian expedition begins search and exhumation work on Polish territory (Radio Svoboda)
Photo: Ukrainian expedition begins search and exhumation work on Polish territory (Radio Svoboda)
Photo: Ukrainian expedition begins search and exhumation work on Polish territory (Radio Svoboda)
The battle in the village of Jureczkowa took place on March 4, 1947, but it occurred further from the area where the search began. How the deceased UPA fighters were moved, whether they were transported by carts, and who exactly carried this out, is not known for certain.
Before World War II, the village belonged to the Dobromyl County of the Lwów Voivodeship. The population was predominantly Ukrainian of the Greek Catholic faith. In September 1939, with the arrival of the Red Army, Jureczkowa became part of the USSR and was included in the Drohobych region.
After the end of the war in 1945, Jureczkowa became part of Poland. The Ukrainian population in this area began to be forcibly resettled, but the UPA resisted with support from local Ukrainians.
From April 1947, the Ukrainian population was deported from Jureczkowa during Operation Vistula to the western and northern territories of Poland. The forced deportation was a result of agreements between the Soviet and Polish communist authorities.
Exhumation of the victims of the Volhynia tragedy
In April, Ukraine began the exhumation of victims of the Volhynia tragedy — Polish citizens who died in 1945.
This was the first exhumation of Volhynia tragedy victims in many years.
In May, Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications reported that the remains of more than 30 individuals had already been found, and over 20 had been exhumed. In addition, a significant number of artifacts were discovered and recovered, including buttons, shoes, and coins.
In August, joint Ukrainian-Polish search and exhumation work began at the site of the former cemetery in Zboishcha, Lviv.
Earlier, it was also reported that in September 2025, Ukraine plans to begin exhuming the remains of Ukrainians who were improperly buried on Polish territory.
Volhynia tragedy
During World War II, under German occupation, several partisan groups operated on Ukrainian territory. Among them were the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) and the Polish Home Army (Armia Krajowa), which primarily fought in the Volhynia region.
In 1943–1944, ethnic cleansing of Ukrainians and Poles took place, an event 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 documented.
