Tue Dec 30 19:30:00 UTC 2025: ## Ukraine Grants Permission for Further Search of Polish Massacre Victims in Puzniki
Warsaw, Poland – The Ukrainian government has approved the continuation of searches for another mass grave of Polish victims murdered by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) in the village of Puzniki, near Ternopil, Ukraine. This announcement follows a successful exhumation in the area earlier this year, where the remains of 24 victims were discovered.
According to Polish MEP Michał Dworczyk, the search, spearheaded by the Freedom and Democracy Foundation, is set to resume in spring 2025 and is a continuation of a project initiated in autumn 2022.
The decision has been hailed as a direct result of recent discussions between Polish President Karol Nawrocki and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Warsaw on December 19th. “This shows the tangible results of the discussion,” said President Nawrocki’s spokesperson, Rafał Leśkiewicz.
Previously, Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Przydacz confirmed that Ukraine had also granted permission to begin searches in Ostrówki and Wola Ostrowiecka in Volhynia. He emphasized the significance of the presidential dialogue and the collaborative efforts on both the Polish and Ukrainian sides.
In April and May of this year, a joint Polish-Ukrainian team comprising forensic experts, archaeologists, geneticists, and anthropologists conducted an exhumation in Puzniki, unearthing the remains of 24 victims of UPA atrocities. Personal items, including buttons, rosary fragments, and medallions, were also recovered. The remains were laid to rest on September 6th.
The Puzniki project is coordinated by the Freedom and Democracy Foundation with experts from the Pomeranian Medical University, the “Volhynian Antiquities” company, and the Institute of National Remembrance. The entire operation is funded by the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.
This development comes after Ukrainian Ambassador to Poland, Vasyl Bodnar, announced in October that new permits for search and exhumation work would soon be issued, including sites in Huta Pieniacka and Ugły in the Rivne region.
Puzniki was a village in the Ternopil region where, in February 1945, Ukrainian nationalists murdered an estimated 50 to 120 Polish residents.
The search for victims is part of a broader effort to address the legacy of the Volhynia Massacre (1943-1945), in which tens of thousands of Polish civilians were systematically murdered by Ukrainian nationalists.
In November 2024, Ukraine lifted a ban on the search and exhumation of Polish victims of wars and conflicts on Ukrainian territory, paving the way for increased cooperation in uncovering and honoring the memory of those lost during this tragic period of history.
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