Efforts to locate a mass grave of Polish victims from World War II in the village of Uhly, Rivne Oblast, have concluded without confirming its existence. A joint Ukrainian-Polish expedition, which began on March 23, thoroughly examined the sites indicated by Polish sources.
Despite initial expectations, the expedition did not uncover a mass grave linked to the Volhynian tragedy. Researchers found only a few isolated human remains at the site of a former German Evangelical cemetery. Among the findings was the skeleton of a man aged between 30 and 50, buried in an atypical position—on his side.
According to Sviatoslav Sheremeta, a researcher involved in the project, “These human remains do not belong to a mass burial. We will be able to accurately determine the burial date of the individual found if we assess the age of the tree growing nearby.”
The Ukrainian side financed the search and provided maximum support following a request from Polish activist Karolina Romanowska. She had claimed that around 70 individuals, both Polish and Ukrainian, may be buried in the village.
Professor Bohdan Hudy, a member of the intergovernmental search group, noted that some Polish media outlets prematurely linked isolated findings to a mass burial. He emphasized that such reporting does not contribute to an objective understanding of the situation and suggested that the Polish side should refrain from making such claims without awaiting expert conclusions.
The search efforts in Uhly were initiated by the Polish side, aiming to exhume remains from a suspected mass grave dating back to 1943, a claim made for years by Romanowska. The question of the Volhynian tragedy remains one of the most complex issues in Ukrainian-Polish relations, with historians from both countries holding differing views on the causes and nature of the events from 80 years ago.
For further insights into the historical context and ongoing discussions, an interview with historians Roman Kabachiy and Mariusz Zajączkowski provides an in-depth exploration of the events between the two nations.
The search for a mass grave of Polish WWII victims in Uhly, Ukraine, concluded without findings, highlighting ongoing complexities in Ukrainian-Polish historical relations. The expedition, initiated by Polish claims, found isolated remains but no evidence of mass burial.