The Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance's (UINR) announcement that it plans to search for the remains of victims of the Volyn massacre is a "step in the right direction," the Polish foreign ministry said on Oct. 3.
The Volyn massacre refers to the 1943 killing of tens of thousands of Poles by members of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) in Nazi-occupied Volyn, a region that was once part of Poland and is now part of Ukraine. Thousands of Ukrainians were killed in retaliation.
Despite several attempts at reconciliation between modern-day Poland and Ukraine, the issue has resurfaced in public discussion multiple times.
UINR announced plans on Oct. 2 to begin the search and exhumation of Polish remains in Ukraine's Rivne Oblast in 2025 in response to petitions from Polish citizens.
“This is good information and a step in the right direction, but (Polish Foreign Affairs) Minister Radoslaw Sikorski has repeatedly emphasized in talks with Ukrainian partners that we are not waiting for plans, but for a decision. Therefore, we hope that such a decision will indeed be made,” Polish Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Pawel Wronski told Polish media outlet PAP.
Wronski emphasized that Sikorski “does not see this issue as a political dispute, but calls on the Ukrainian side to make a civilized and Christian gesture of remembrance for the victims of the horrific events in Volyn.”
The exhumation and search for Polish graves in Ukraine, related to the Volyn massacre, was a key topic during the Oct. 1 meeting between Polish parliament speaker Szymon Hołownia and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.
This issue has been the focus of ongoing discussions between Polish and Ukrainian officials. In September, Sikorski visited Kyiv to address key matters with Ukrainian counterparts, including the sensitive topic of resuming the exhumation and Christian burial of victims of the Volyn events.
The Volyn massacre remains a highly sensitive issue in Polish-Ukrainian relations, with conflicting perspectives on responsibility and the estimated number of victims.
Polish officials have characterized the massacre as genocide, attributing full responsibility to the UPA, while Ukrainian officials have rejected this label and called for recognizing shared responsibility for the killings.
Dinara Khalilova
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