Ukraine grants Poland permission to conduct another exhumation of Volyn tragedy victims

Ukraine has granted Poland permission to conduct search and exhumation work of those killed in the Volyn tragedy and buried in the village of Uhly in Rivne Oblast. [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 long-standing rivalry between Ukrainians and Poles in what is now Ukraine's west. Poland considers the Volyn tragedy a genocide of Poles – ed.]

Vasyl Bodnar, Ukraine's Ambassador to Poland, stated that he signed a note transmitting the permission from Ukraine's Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications to the Polish side to carry out search operations in Uhly, Rivne Oblast.

"This permission has been issued in response to a request from Karolina Romanowska, [head of Polish-Ukrainian Reconciliation Association – ed.]. The Ukrainian side invites the relevant representatives of the Polish side to participate in the on-site work," Bodnar wrote on Facebook.

"I want to emphasise once again: Ukraine, and I personally, are ready to continue cooperating with Polish partners in historical matters and in the conduct of exhumations. We are open and transparent. Only in this way can we achieve true understanding," he stressed.

Bodnar said he hopes that Polish partners will also be open to genuine dialogue on the complex issues of Ukraine and Poland's shared historical past.

Earlier this month, Bodnar stated that Ukraine would soon issue new permits for the search and exhumation of victims of the Volyn tragedy.

The permits cover search and exhumation work in villages such as Huta Peniatska (Huta Pieniacka) in Lviv Oblast and Uhly in Rivne Oblast.

In early September, in Ternopil Oblast, a delegation from Poland participated in the reburial of remains discovered during exhumations of residents of the village of Puzhnyky.

In Lviv, exhumations at the site of the former village of Zboiska were completed at the end of August.

The issue of exhumations has long been a point of contention in Ukraine-Poland relations.