Further exhumations have started in Volhynia. There have been announcements from the Institute of National Remembrance and Ukraine
Kościański said that these works are of key importance for the worthy commemoration of the murdered and restoring the memory of the tragic events from years ago. — The main goal of the ongoing activities is to locate the burial places of the remains of over 350 Poles, victims of crimes committed by Ukrainian nationalists in August 1943, said the IPN spokesman.
As he noted, the beginning stage will be carried out on the basis of consents obtained from the Ukrainian side in December 2025. This is a continuation of the mission initiated in 1992, he said.
Archaeological and exploration research is carried out by an interdisciplinary team from the Search and Identification Office of the Institute of National Remembrance.
The work involves an expert in forensic medicine, Dr. Łukasz Szleszkowski from the Medical University of Wrocław. The project is carried out in cooperation with the Ukrainian partner of the Institute of National Remembrance – the specialized company Wołyńskie Antiquities – and with the participation of representatives of the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.
Three stages of work in Ostrówki and Wola Ostrowiecka
The Institute of National Remembrance informed that three stages of archaeological and exhumation work have been carried out so far in Ostrówki and Wola Ostrowiecka, which allowed the discovery of the remains of 674 Poles murdered on August 30, 1943 by OUN-UPA units.
“The first of these stages was carried out in 1992, thanks to the efforts of families and the Society of Friends of Krzemieniec and the Volhynia-Podolian Land in Lublin. The remains of no less than 323 people were recovered. Their ceremonial funeral took place on August 30, 1992 at the former Roman Catholic parish cemetery in Ostrówki,” the announcement reads.
The next stage of work was carried out at the turn of July and August 2011. Polish and Ukrainian archaeologists, supported by volunteers from the Volunteer Labor Corps and the families of former residents, recovered the remains of at least 317 people from five graves. Their ceremonial funeral took place on August 30, 2011 at the cemetery in Ostrówki.
The work was continued in May and August 2015 by a Polish-Ukrainian research team, which led to the discovery of further burial sites. A mass grave was located in Ostrówki, containing the remains of 33 people – 22 men, 5 women and 6 children – while a woman's grave was found in Wola Ostrowiecka. On August 30, 2015, on the 72nd anniversary of the crime, a ceremonial burial of the victims took place.
Ukraine reacts to exploration work in Volhynia
The Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance (UINP) announced in a statement on Monday that the work will last until May 1, 2026.
“The tragic pages of the common history of both nations in the 20th century remain sensitive for Poles and Ukrainians. At the same time, consistent and responsible dialogue on these issues is a guarantee of worthy commemoration of the victims,” we read in the Ukrainian statement.
UINP noted that “at the end of August 1943 (on the night of August 28-29, according to other data – August 30), Ostrówki and Wola Ostrowiecka were attacked by armed forces. According to archival data, most of the village inhabitants tragically died, and the villages themselves were burned.”
“The Ukrainian-Polish clash during World War II is a tragic page in the history of both nations. Its main victims on both the Polish and Ukrainian sides were civilians,” the UINP statement emphasized.
