Volhynia exhumations: 80 years later, names return to the victims | Special Report
Tens of thousands of people were killed, families were left without the opportunity to bury their loved ones, and the pain has endured despite the passage of time. The legacy of Volhynia has cast a shadow over Polish-Ukrainian relations for decades. The question persists: Can Poland and Ukraine confront the legacy of these tragic events together?
In 1943, around 100,000 Polish civilians were killed in an ethnic cleansing campaign carried out by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA). The killings continued for weeks. Neighbors turned against neighbors, and entire communities were reduced to ash.
More than 80 years after the Volhynia massacres, Polish and Ukrainian experts are working together to recover and identify victims buried in unmarked mass graves in western Ukraine. This report follows the latest exhumation efforts in Ostrówki and Wola Ostrowiecka, providing exclusive access to the archaeological site. What investigators have uncovered is harrowing. Yet it also offers hope that families who have waited decades for the chance to be reunited with their relatives and finally be able to give them a dignified farewell.
Featured interviews include:
Leon Popek – historian at Poland’s Institute of National Remembrance (IPN), whose own family was murdered during the massacres.
Aleksandra Wasiejko – a local Ukrainian resident whose parents preserved the memory of the burial sites and later guided Polish investigators to the graves.
Dr. Łukasz Szleszkowski – forensic pathologist explaining how specialists document injuries and identify victims.
Father Tomasz Trzaska – IPN expert describing the forensic evidence uncovered during the exhumations.
Yaroslav Onyshchuk – Ukrainian historian and archaeologist on the importance of giving the dead a dignified burial.
Father Jan Buras – reflecting on how the experience of today’s war helps Ukrainians better understand the pain of Polish families still searching for their relatives.
The report also explores the difficult historical memory surrounding the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), the impact of Russia’s ongoing invasion on the exhumation work, and why identifying the dead remains important for reconciliation between Poland and Ukraine.
Reporter: Piotr Kućma
🔴 Watch our 24/7 livestream – https://youtube.com/live/9RY46AUtIl4
Bringing you all the latest daily news and updates, TVP World is Poland’s first English-language channel where you can find world news as seen from the Polish perspective and the latest news from the CEE region. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram.
https://tvpworld.com/
https://www.facebook.com/tvpworldcom
https://twitter.com/TVPWorld_com
https://www.instagram.com/tvp_world/
https://www.threads.net/@tvp_world
https://bsky.app/profile/tvpworld.bsky.social
https://www.tiktok.com/@tvpworld.com
https://t.me/tvp_world
#Poland #History #Ukraine
