Exhumations of victims of Volhynia Massacre in Puzniki began. Today marks the start of the first exhumations since 2017 of victims related to the so-called Volhynia Massacre from the 1940s. The search operations have already been carried out. Now, specialists from Poland will be retrieving the victims’ remains from the ground and conducting anthropological studies as well as DNA tests.
Puzniki, Ukraine – Who is Conducting the Exhumations?
The exhumations of Polish citizens who were murdered in February 1945 in the now non-existent village of Puźniki, located in Ukraine’s Ternopil Oblast, are expected to take several weeks. Taking part in the effort are experts from the Pomeranian Medical University, representatives of Poland’s Institute of National Remembrance (IPN), as well as from Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture, which granted permission for the exhumation process.
The work is being supported by the organization Volhynian Antiquities, which was involved in the search for the mass grave. At the site where the exhumations are taking place, representatives from the Freedom and Democracy Foundation, which facilitated the approval of the Polish request, expect to find the remains of several dozen individuals. According to established findings, these individuals were believed to have been murdered by Ukrainian nationalists toward the end of World War II.
See also: Karolina Romanowska: “No more words are needed in the Volhynia case. Time for action”
Puzniki. PostPravda.Info Will Be On Site
We will learn how the victims died, when it happened, and who they were in a few months, once genetic material is compared with living descendants. The organizers are committed to carrying out the entire process with the utmost respect and seriousness. As PostPravda.Info and the Future for Ukraine Foundation (UA Future), we will be observing the work on site.
The Ukrainian side has expressed the desire that Ukrainians who died during a similar historical period and whose remains are now on Polish soil also be honored with dignity. Recently, in Monastyrz, Podkarpacie, an act of provocation occurred: unknown perpetrators replaced a commemorative plaque dedicated to victims. This act was met with a strong, joint response from the Polish and Ukrainian Ministries of Culture, both condemning the act of vandalism.
STATEMENT
We strongly condemn the act of vandalism committed against one of the Ukrainian memorial sites in Poland. The unauthorized inscriptions and symbols must be immediately removed.
This is a deliberate provocation, serving, among others, the interests of the aggressor state—Russia—and is aimed at disrupting the constructive dialogue that has been developing between our countries in recent months.
We reaffirm our firm commitment to further strengthening our strategic partnership and resolving existing disputes in the spirit of dialogue and mutual understanding.
All acts of vandalism against memorial and burial sites are being addressed by the appropriate authorities.
Freedom and Democracy Foundation
Since 2005, the Freedom and Democracy Foundation has supported Poles in the East and worked to preserve Polish heritage in the former borderlands of the First and Second Polish Republics. Since 2013, the Foundation has conducted search and exhumation operations across Ukraine. In that time, 138 compatriots have been found, exhumed, and given a dignified burial.
In June 2022, the Foundation submitted a request to the relevant Ukrainian authorities for permission to search for Polish victims of the OUN-UPA in the village of Puzniki. After receiving permission, search efforts commenced and resulted in the discovery of a mass grave on August 24, 2023. Later that year, the Foundation submitted a formal request to exhume the victims. On Wednesday, January 8, following a months-long process, permission for the exhumation was granted.
“I want to emphasize that the Foundation’s efforts to restore dignity and remembrance to our compatriots received support from both the previous and current Polish governments. We are deeply grateful for this backing—without it, this success would not have been possible. It shows that the fight for the memory of fallen and murdered Poles in the East transcends political divisions. We view this very positively. Together, we must defend our identity, including remembrance of victims of war and criminal ideologies,” said Lilia Luboniewicz, president of the Freedom and Democracy Foundation.
“We thank everyone who, despite many obstacles and moments of doubt, worked tirelessly for our shared cause. I personally know just how difficult it has been at times—many hard conversations, complex formal procedures, and setbacks. That was our reality in recent years. We thank everyone who stood with us and accompanied us on this journey. We believe this moment will be a true breakthrough for all research related to the fate of Polish victims of war crimes in the East,” added Maciej Dancewicz, Vice President of the Foundation.
Puzniki Is About Respect
During search operations in August 2023, a mass grave of murdered villagers was discovered. Carrying out exhumations at this site required official approval from the Ukrainian side, and all necessary documents were submitted.
“We hope the work will be completed by this summer. So that, after eighty years, our compatriots—victims of horrific crimes—can finally rest in peace and be honored with the remembrance and respect they deserve,” said the Foundation’s Vice President.
The organization has been fighting for more than a decade to ensure the dignified commemoration of Poles who died or were murdered during World War II. One of the Foundation’s key achievements was the 2014–2016 discovery, exhumation, and dignified burial of over 100 Polish soldiers who died fighting the Germans near Lviv in September 1939.
