Ukraine is set to begin search and exhumation work on Polish territory at the end of September as part of bilateral cooperation for the reburial of Ukrainian and Polish citizens.

Source: Ukrinform news agency, citing Deputy Minister of Culture and Information Policy Andrii Nadzhos, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Ukrainian expedition is scheduled to depart on 29 September, with the Polish side having approved the start of exhumation work for 30 September. The operation will take place in the village of Jureczkowa, Podkarpackie Voivodeship, Poland.

“We already have the geolocation and have informed the Polish side which forest area we plan to examine,” said the deputy minister.

He added that the work will last for one month and will involve removing the topsoil and potentially cutting down trees at the site. According to Nadzhos, early estimates suggest the remains of around 20 UPA fighters may be located there. [The UPA, or the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, was a nationalist paramilitary organisation that fought for Ukrainian independence during and after World War II, primarily against Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union – ed.]

The official noted that Ukraine has so far received approval to carry out search and exhumation work at four locations in Poland. This limitation is due to a shortage of Ukrainian specialised personnel and the limited period in which such work can be conducted.

Background:

The issue of exhumations has been a longstanding point of contention in Ukraine-Poland relations. The Polish authorities under Donald Tusk have pressed Kyiv to lift its moratorium on such work.Warsaw has even suggested that resolving historical disputes would be a prerequisite for Ukraine’s EU accession.Earlier, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha noted significant progress had been made in resolving sensitive issues of national memory concerning the shared history of Ukraine and Poland.

Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!

From Ukrainska Pravda via this RSS feed