Ukraine gives go-ahead for exhumation of Volyn tragedy victims in Ternopil Oblast – work to begin in April
www.pravda.com.ua
Mon, 13 Jan 2025 16:59:43 +0200
Exhumation of the remains of Polish victims of the Volyn tragedy, buried in the former village of Puzhnyky in Ternopil Oblast, has been set to begin in April.
The Volyn Volhynia tragedy was a series of events that led to the ethnic cleansing of the Polish and Ukrainian populations in 1943 during World War II.
It was part of a longstanding rivalry between Ukrainians and Poles in what is now Ukraines west.
Poland considers the Volyn tragedy a genocide of Poles ed.
Source Polish radio station RMF FM, as reported by European Pravda Details The Freedom and Democracy Foundation, which identified the burial site two years ago, has received permission from Ukrainian authorities to exhume the remains and conduct further research.
The primary goal of the exhumation is to identify the individuals whose remains were found in a pit near the former cemetery.
After the excavation, the remains will be examined by Polish archaeologists and anthropologists, said Maciej Dancewicz, Deputy Head of the Freedom and Democracy Foundation.
Experts have already started collecting genetic material from the probable descendants. At the burial site, this material will also be collected in a professional manner, Dancewicz said on the radio broadcast.
Following the research, the victims are to be reburied and a memorial will be established at the site.
During the tragic events known as the Volyn tragedy, approximately 80 people were killed in Puzhnyky.
Background On 10 January, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced a breakthrough regarding the exhumation of Volyn tragedy victims but refrained from providing details. Meanwhile, Andrii Nadzhos, Ukraines Deputy Minister of Culture for European Integration, revealed that Ukraine and Poland have exchanged lists of sites for locating and exhuming remains related to mutual historical conflicts.
In late November, the foreign ministers of Poland and Ukraine, Radosaw Sikorski and Andrii Sybiha, issued a joint statement on the exhumation issue.
Ukraine confirmed there were no obstacles to Polish state institutions and private organisations conducting search and exhumation work. Support UP or become our patron
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