Archaeological work will commence on March 23, 2026, in Ugły, Ukraine, to locate the remains of over 100 Poles and Ukrainians murdered during World War II.
Search Operations to Commence in Ugły
Search operations will begin on March 23, 2026, in the village of Ugły, Sarny district, Rivne region, Ukraine, at the site of a mass grave containing the remains of local Polish and Ukrainian residents who perished during World War II. The expedition is expected to last approximately one week, according to the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance (UINP).
The UINP stated that the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture granted permission for the work in 2025 to the Lviv Regional Council’s municipal enterprise “Dola.”
Initiation and Collaboration
The Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance is commissioning the search, initiated by Karolina Romanowska, chairwoman of the Polish-Ukrainian Reconciliation Association. The expedition is being organized in collaboration with the Pomeranian Medical University.
Estimated Death Toll
Estimates suggest that over 100 Poles were killed in Ugły.
Agreement on Accelerating Exhumations
In late 2025, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Polish President Karol Nawrocki reached an agreement to accelerate the search for and exhumation of victims of mutual conflicts. Historically, Ugły was located in the Volhynian Voivodeship of the Second Polish Republic, where a significant Polish ethnic community resided.
Details of the 1943 Attack
On May 12, 1943, a group of residents, including both Poles and Ukrainians, were killed during an armed attack. The victims were buried near the Evangelical cemetery, where German colonists from nearby settlements were buried in the early 20th century. The exact number of victims and the circumstances of the tragedy remain unclear, necessitating the current search efforts, followed by exhumation, identification, and reburial of the remains.
Memorial Cross in Ugły
A wooden cross with a stone plaque stands in the village, bearing the inscription “To the Memory of Polish Former Residents of the Village of Ugły” in both Ukrainian and Polish.
UPA Attack and Funding
A UPA unit attacked the Polish colony of Ugły in the early morning of May 12, 1943. Approximately 50 farms were burned, and over 100 Poles were killed. The searches in Ugły, funded by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage (MKiDN), will be led by Professor Andrzej Ossowski from the Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin.
Minister’s Statement on Dialogue
Minister of Culture and National Heritage Marta Cienkowska announced the work in Ugły on March 19th, stating it represents another important step in strengthening neighborly relations and fulfilling the plan announced in December of the previous year by the Polish-Ukrainian Working Group for Dignified Burials.
Minister Cienkowska: “This is the result of dialogue that works.”
“Last year in Puźniki we found the remains of 42 victims. In Zboiska – our soldiers. We are not doing this for politics. We are doing this so that every victim has a grave, a cross and a name. So that families can light a candle. This is our duty,” emphasized the Minister of Culture and National Heritage, Marta Cienkowska.
Preliminary Reconnaissance Conducted
In December 2025, Polish and Ukrainian specialists conducted reconnaissance prior to the search for Polish victims of the crime in Ugły, Volhynia. Professor Ossowski indicated that several dozen individuals may be buried there.
