Volhynia Massacre Victims Identified: Families Receive Official Records
For the first time, families of victims of the Volhynia massacre have received official identification records following genetic testing, as authorities continue the process of restoring names and...
For the first time, families of victims of the Volhynia massacre have received official identification records following genetic testing, as authorities continue the process of restoring names and dignity to the deceased.
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Official Identification Ceremony
The Ministry of Culture and National Heritage hosted a ceremony on Monday, July 13. Minister Marta Cienkowska noted that while the nation honored tens of thousands of massacre victims last Saturday, today marks a milestone as eight individuals regain their names.
Cienkowska stated that these identification notes ensure victims are no longer anonymous figures of history. She expressed gratitude to those who worked behind the scenes for years, emphasizing that while the state cannot return lost loved ones, it has a duty to restore their identity and place in collective memory.
National Day of Remembrance
July 11 marked the National Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Genocide committed by Ukrainian nationalists against citizens of the Second Polish Republic. This date commemorates the anniversary of “Bloody Sunday” in 1943, the climax of anti-Polish actions carried out by the OUN and UPA in Volhynia.
New Exhumations in Volhynia
The Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) announced the commencement of exhumation work in the former villages of Ostrówki and Wola Ostrowiecka. Running until August 7, these efforts aim to recover the remains of Poles murdered in 1943.
With permission from the Ukrainian side, experts from the IPN are collaborating with researchers from the Wroclaw Medical University and the “Volhynian Antiquities” enterprise. These actions follow search operations from this past April that successfully located burial sites.
Targeted Burial Sites
Current work focuses on three specific locations where remains were previously detected. These include a mass grave at a former farm in Wola Ostrowiecka, a mass grave near the foundations of a former school in Ostrówki, and an individual grave situated opposite the local cemetery.