Volyn tragedy: Poland calls on Ukraine to allow search for victims' bodies

This was emphasized in an interview with Ukrinform by Poland’s Charge d’affaires in Ukraine, Piotr Lukasiewicz.

"I’m the last person who would suggest to leave this to historians. That’s because historians failed on both sides to reach the agreement. It's a question for politicians. It's a question for historians. It's a question for civil society, for the ordinary people, for journalists as well, to talk about this issue in a serious, non-partisan, non-emotional way," Lukasiewicz said.

He emphasized that Poland's approach to the issue is that "it's not only a historical question, it's a civilizational question, a Christian question, a religious issue to bury the dead, to have a proper burial – be it Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, or Jewish burial of the people that were murdered in the Second World War". He added that the general idea of ​​the West, to which Ukraine is now heading, "is based on the Christian values ​​and Christian history of Europe in broadest sense".

According to the diplomat, when it comes to commemorating history, it is "a question of emotions, and when emotions speak, the mind sleeps sometimes." Therefore, it is necessary to separate these issues, and both sides should make efforts to resolve the problem.

"But again, it's a different story of monuments, plaques, words being written on these monuments, and a different story of the proper Christian burial – Christian Jewish, Muslim, or atheist – that those remains deserve,” emphasized Poland’s CDA.

Lukasiewicz noted that in Ukraine, some Ukrainian bloggers claim Ukraine does not block exhumations.

"I get that. What you are blocking is the search for the remains. And this is what we would really like to be lifted, to allow families to search for their relatives, to properly bury them. As I said before, this is the sacred thing to do, especially for families," the diplomat emphasized.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, during 2014-2020, nearly 10 Ukrainian memorial sites were destroyed or desecrated on the Polish-Ukrainian border. Videos and photos of these vandalized monuments were often first published by Russian media platforms and those run by Russian proxies in the occupied territories of Ukraine. Therefore, members of the Ukrainian community in Poland emphasized that these acts of vandalism should be viewed in the broader context of Russia’s hybrid war aimed at worsening Polish-Ukrainian relations. In 2017, after another act of vandalism and amid the lack of reaction from Warsaw, Ukraine suspended the issuance of permits for the Polish side to conduct search operations for WW2-era burial sites in Ukraine. Subsequently, Presidents Zelensky and Duda agreed on a solution, with the Ukrainian side committing to resume issuing such permits, and the Polish side – committing to restore the monument on Mount Monastyr, where the grave of 62 UPA soldiers who died in the battle with the NKVD in 1945 is located. The tombstone on the grave was officially installed in 2000 before vandals cracked it in 2015, and completely destroyed it in January 2020.

In October 2020, before President Duda’s visit to Kyiv, a granite slab was installed on that grave, but without the names of the fallen UPA fighters. In response, Kyiv asked Warsaw to restore the original inscription made in 2000, but Warsaw is yet to grant Kyiv's request.

After 2019, the Ukrainian side issued several permits to search for the remains of Polish victims in Ukraine, including one concerning the victims of the Volyn tragedy. Warsaw emphasizes that for several years Kyiv has not granted permits for the search and exhumation of the victims of the Volyn tragedy and demands that Ukraine revoke all prohibitions to this end. Warsaw said the issue will be raised during the Polish presidency of the EU and emphasized that it would be difficult for Ukraine to hope for EU membership without having this problem solved.

The subject of the Volyn tragedy is one of the most controversial ones in Ukrainian-Polish relations. Poland insists that the Ukrainian side bears sole responsibility for the crimes committed in 1943-1945 in Volyn. In turn, Ukraine emphasizes that both parties are responsible, so the apology should be mutual.

The topic of the Volyn tragedy is actively exploited by Russian propaganda to pit the Ukrainian and Polish peoples against each other.