In Rivne region, exhumation of Volhynian Massacre victims begins

Search and exhumation work in the village of Uhly, Sarny district, Rivne region. Photo: radiosvoboda

A joint Ukrainian-Polish expedition consisting of 20 specialists began search and exhumation work on March 23, 2026, for victims of the Volhynian Massacre in the village of Uhly in the Sarny district, Rivne region. This was reported by "Radio Liberty" publication.

Immediately after the excavator began work, human remains were uncovered. The work is being conducted at the site of a former cemetery, so it is not yet known whose remains have been found.

This exhumation was sought by Polish public activist Karolina Romanowska, whose family members are buried in a mass grave. She said that 18 people were killed on May 12, 1943. Karolina Romanowska's great-grandfather, who was the village elder of Uhly during the German occupation, buried about 70 killed Poles and Ukrainians at the former old cemetery.

"This search is important for me and the whole family, because I have heard about this since childhood, it is important for me to find them and bury them with dignity," says Karolina Romanowska.

The Institute of National Remembrance of Poland reports the number of victims in Uhly (from 60 to 104 killed), insisting that it was fighters of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) who carried out the attack and killed the Poles.

In Poland, they note that the company of Nikon Semenyuk (Yarema) was involved in the death of Poles in the village of Uhly. It is unknown exactly how many Poles were in Uhly on May 12, 1943, how many people managed to leave before the attack, and how many were saved.

From the Ukrainian side, experts from the Lviv Memorial Search Center "Dolia" are working. From the Polish side - specialists from the Pomeranian University in Słupsk.

As the head of the memorial search center "Dolia" Sviatoslav Sheremeta said, the first stage of search work will last until March 27.

As the UOJ wrote, the Ministry of Culture authorized excavations at the site of Poles' massacre by the SS "Galicia" division.

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