Ukraine aims to start exhumation work in Poland this year

Deputy Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications Andrii Nadzhos announced this at a briefing on May 23, according to Ukrinform.

"We have already received permission to carry out work on Polish territory and are preparing for it. We need to form our own expedition. We saw the equipment and personnel the Polish expedition used in Puzhnyky, and we must prepare just as professionally for work in Poland," he said.

"For us, this is not a distant but a near-term prospect — we may be talking about this summer. Once we finalize the expedition, we will share the details, including the location of the work," the official added.

According to him, the excavation work on Polish territory will be funded by Ukraine.

"We are currently calculating how much funding is needed. We're talking about at least 1 million UAH. We will look for these funds because this is our memory," the deputy minister said.

He added that, in total, around 20 requests for exhumation work have been submitted by both the Polish and Ukrainian sides.

Background on Ukraine-Poland exhumation works

In February 1945, the village of Puzhnyky in western Ukraine witnessed a tragic event during the complex conflict of World War II. Polish sources describe a massacre on February 12–13, where 50 to 120 ethnic Poles were allegedly killed by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) under the command of Petro Khamchuk-Bystryi. Ukrainian records, however, suggest the targets were pro-Soviet elements, and some historians argue the NKVD may have been responsible.

The area had long been contested by various forces: the UPA, Polish resistance (Home Army), Soviets, and Nazis. In 1945, the remaining residents were relocated, and by 1949 the Soviet regime had liquidated the village.

In May 2023, a joint Polish-Ukrainian archaeological team began searching for mass graves. A significant discovery came in October 2023, prompting Poland to request permission for exhumations. Political tensions, including border blockades, delayed progress.

In January 2025, Ukraine approved the first exhumation in Puzhnyky. The work began in April, with field studies and DNA testing by the Pomeranian Medical University. Ukrainian authorities also plan reciprocal efforts in Poland to identify Ukrainian victims.

The Volyn tragedy and related ethnic violence remain politically sensitive, with tens of thousands of victims on both sides. Despite historical disagreements, these exhumations are seen as a step toward mutual recognition, justice, and reconciliation.

• On May 7, exhumation work was completed in the area of the former village of Puzhnyky in the Ternopil region. Researchers found the remains of 42 people.
• And on May 21, it became known that Ukraine had submitted three requests and received one permit for search and exhumation work in Poland.