Polish investigation works to the west of Ukraine

According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture, the permits concern the continuation of investigation in the erstwhile village of Puźniki and exploration works in places where prior to planet War II there were colonies of Ostrówówka and Wola Ostrowiecka. At the same time, it was stressed that only investigation activities were involved.

An crucial component of the decision is the clear discrimination between search and exhumation. At this stage, investigation teams will be able to conduct field studies, analyse witness reports, archive papers and usage non-invasive methods to identify possible burial sites.

Maciej Dancevicz, Vice president of the Freedom and Democracy Foundation, explains in an interview with PAP that it is only possible to find and confirm the existence of the grave that allows for further consent. “The exhumation licence can be applied for after the completion of the search and location of the burial site,” emphasises Dancewicz, whose foundation, alongside the Institute of National Memory, participates in the implementation of the works. This procedure is in line with the law in force in Ukraine and global standards for conducting specified research.

Volyn’s hard Heritage

The localities listed in the paper are well known to historians dealing with crimes on the Polish civilian population in Volyn and east Małopolska. W Of a cylinder capacity not exceeding 1000 cm3, in February 1945, respective twelve villagers were murdered. any of the victims were buried in unmarked graves whose exact location has not yet been established.

Ostrówków and Wola Ostrowiecka were destroyed in the summertime of 1943, during the culminating period of anti-Polish cleaning in Volyn. As a consequence of planned attacks, almost the full Polish population of both towns died. The victims were mainly civilians – women, children and aged people. Many remains inactive lie in unknown or makeshift burial sites.

Mass murders of Polish civilians in Volyn and in east Małopolska from 1943 to 1945 were part of the activities undertaken by the structures of the Organizations of Ukrainian Nationalists and the Ukrainian Insurgency Army. Their goal was to remove Poles from the areas recognised as a future Ukrainian state.

Historians estimation that tens of thousands died as a consequence of these actions. After the war, this subject remained on the margins of public debate for decades, first for political reasons and later for maintaining a appropriate relation between Warsaw and Kiev. Disputes concerning the assessment of events, terminology and the right to exhumation remained 1 of the most hard points of historical dialogue.