Ambassador Bodnar: Exhumation of victims of Volyn tragedy will begin this spring
In the spring of 2025, the exhumation of Polish victims of the Volyn tragedy may begin.
Ambassador of Ukraine to Poland Vasyl Bodnar told this to the RAR publication, Censor.NET reports citing Ukrinform.
According to Bodnar, "we plan to start the exhumation in the spring (in the first place where there is already a permit, that is, in Puzhnyky."
The ambassador added that the month in which the work will begin is not yet known, as it depends on weather conditions.
"We don't know exactly in which month, but we are preparing for the fact that if the weather permits, all permits have been issued and the team from the Polish side is also ready to start these works," he said on TVN24.
Bodnar said that work is underway to identify all the places where the exhumation could be carried out, both on Polish and Ukrainian territory.
"According to Ukrainian law, there must be a Ukrainian company licensed to carry out such work. The Polish side already has such a partner and this cooperation is developing with a Ukrainian institution," the diplomat explained, adding that "this institution has received all the permits, and when the teams go together and start digging, then the public will know about it and, of course, we will communicate this through the ministers of culture."
The Ukrainian side is partially involved in financing the exhumation work on Ukrainian territory.
"The local authorities and our INP said that they would provide subsidies for these works, but the funding comes mainly from the Polish side," the ambassador said.
He also noted: "We are talking about starting this process, which, unfortunately, has been suspended since 2017."
The issue of exhumation of victims of the Volyn tragedy
As reported, in September, the Polish Foreign Ministry said that without resolving the issue of the exhumation of the victims of the Volyn tragedy, Ukraine cannot dream of joining the EU.At the same time, Polish President Andrzej Duda said that attempts to block Ukraine's accession to the European Union play into the hands of Vladimir Putin's policy.
During his visit to Warsaw on October 1, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that Ukraine was ready to discuss with Poland controversial issues of common history, including the Volyn tragedy of 1943-1944.
On October 2, the UINP stated that they plan to conduct search operations for the victims of the Volyn tragedy in 2025. The Institute also stated that it remains open to cooperation with Polish institutions in the field of searching, preserving and caring for the places of memory of Ukrainians in Poland and Poles in Ukraine, and complained that official inter-institutional mechanisms for resolving problematic issues with the Polish side in the restoration and preservation of places of memory have not been in place for a long time.
Drobovich believes that Ukrainian and Polish officials need to finally move to constructive action "in the problematic issues of exhumation and burials," and proposed a "road map."
On October 4 , the Polish Defense Minister reaffirmed his intention to block Ukraine's accession to the EU until the issue of exhumation and commemoration of the victims of the Volyn tragedy is resolved.
On November 26, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, after speaking with his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha, said that Kyiv had assured him that there were no obstacles to the search and exhumation of the victims of the Volyn tragedy in Ukraine.
On January 11, the Ministry of Culture reported that Ukraine and Poland had exchanged lists of places to search for and exhume the remains of mutual historical conflicts. Kyiv is committed to "positive decisions" on this issue.
