Beneath the soil of two now-deserted villages in western Ukraine, joint teams of Polish and Ukrainian archaeologists are carefully uncovering human remains at the site of World War II-era massacres. These ongoing exhumations are at the center of a historical dispute that has strained diplomatic relations between Warsaw and Kyiv for years.
Between 1943 and 1945, in territory then occupied by Nazi Germany, tens of thousands of civilians were killed by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), according to Polish estimates.
The exact death toll remains a subject of intense debate; however, Poland's Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) estimates that approximately 100,000 people died during the 1943-45 anti-Polish campaign across the Volhynia, Eastern Galicia, and Lublin regions. The institute further estimates that at least 10,000 people were killed in Polish retaliatory attacks.
The two nations hold starkly different interpretations of these events. Warsaw officially classifies the massacres as a "genocide" against the Polish minority. Conversely, Ukraine honors the UPA as freedom fighters who resisted the Soviet Union, viewing the events as a wartime "tragedy" and emphasizing that Ukrainians were also killed in retaliatory violence. Amidst forests and fields of sunflowers, the joint archaeological teams are working to recover the victims.
Karol Polejowski, deputy president of the IPN, stated, "We want to restore their first and last names … to fulfil the duty that rests on us as heirs of those who were murdered here." To date, the remains of over 50 people have been recovered, though they have not yet been identified. Polejowski noted that it is believed 30 to 40% of these individuals were children.
Inside a white tent situated approximately six miles from the Polish border, experts are meticulously laying out skeletons to measure bones and attempt to match skull fragments. Anthropologist Olga Mineiko of the Ukrainian Memorial and Search Center described the burial conditions, noting that the remains were arranged in a highly disordered manner, suggesting the victims were brought to the pit and simply dumped.
Alongside the bones, researchers have unearthed a small number of artifacts, including shoes, religious medallions, and rosaries.
The IPN is currently collecting genetic material and has appealed to Poles who believe they may have lost relatives in the massacre to provide samples to assist in the identification process. Forensic specialists and anthropologists are also working to determine the approximate age, sex, and cause of death for each victim.
The UPA, a paramilitary organization linked to the Ukrainian independence movement, fought the Soviet Red Army but also collaborated with the Nazis during the initial invasion of the Soviet Union and clashed with the Polish resistance. Since the 2022 Russian invasion, Ukraine has honored the UPA as a force that fought for independence from Moscow.
This year, relations between Warsaw and Kyiv were further strained when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy named a military unit after the UPA.
While Kyiv maintained the naming was not directed at Warsaw, Polish President Karol Nawrocki withdrew his highest national honor from Zelenskyy in response. In a show of solidarity, three former Ukrainian presidents returned their White Eagle awards to Poland, according to reports from BBC News.
The issue has become increasingly politicized in Poland, where nationalist parties have sought to use the history to embolden their base ahead of upcoming parliamentary elections. Despite these tensions, the current pro-European government led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk has called for de-escalation, and Warsaw has welcomed efforts by Zelenskyy to cool the situation, including a promise to open classified intelligence documents.
Last month, Tusk announced the creation of a national memorial to the victims, stating, "Truth is our duty toward the victims, but also a way to overcome a painful past for the sake of a better future.
Memory cannot be the servant of hatred. The answer to nationalism cannot be more nationalism." As the work continues, the teams are planning a proper farewell for the victims. "We want them to be buried here, where they lived, where each of them had their dreams and plans, and wanted their life to unfold," Polejowski said. "In this soil they should rest."
