Ukraine approves a further search for Volhynia massacre victims from WWII

Ukraine has approved a new search for victims of the World War II–era Volhynia Massacre at a site in the village of Uhly, in the Rivne region of northwestern Ukraine, part of the historical region of Volhynia. 

Ukraine has allowed searches for victims of the World War II–era Volhynia Massacre — a series of killings of Polish civilians by Ukrainian nationalists — at a site in the village of Uhly, in the Rivne region of northwestern Ukraine.

Photo: Google Maps

The announcement was made by Ukraine’s ambassador to Poland, Vasyl Bodnar, who said he had signed a note granting Poland permission from Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture to conduct the work. 

The ambassador described the decision as a positive step for Polish-Ukrainian relations and reaffirmed Ukraine’s readiness to continue cooperation on historical and exhumation issues. 

⚡️Przekazałem drogą dyplomatyczną kolejne zezwolenie na przeprowadzenie prac poszukiwawczych na terytorium Ukrainy. To zezwolenie dotyczy miejscowości Ugły na Wołyniu. Zapraszamy Stronę Polską do uzgodnienia szczegółów. Kolejne zezwolenia w trakcie przygotowywania.

— Vasyl Bodnar (@VasylBodnar) October 13, 2025

Around 100 Polish civilians were killed in Uhly in May 1943 by units of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), a nationalist paramilitary group responsible for a series of attacks on Polish communities in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia in 1943–1944.

This is the second such authorization this year, following earlier exhumations and reburials of Polish victims in Puznyky, in the Ternopil region of western Ukraine. That massacre occurred in 1945 and is sometimes treated separately, but it is also connected to the broader cycle of wartime atrocities committed by the UPA after Ukraine lifted a years-long moratorium on such searches.

(mp)

Source: IAR/X/@VasylBodnar