Poland has announced the discovery of a previously unknown mass grave in Volhynia

Polish archaeologists have discovered the remains of victims of the Volhynia tragedy during excavations in the former villages of Ostrivky and Volia Ostrovetska. The previously unknown mass grave is located on the grounds of the former Strazhytsia farmstead, near a memorial erected in the 1990s. 

RMF24 reports this, noting that the research began based on permits issued by the Ukrainian side in December 2025. Scientists preliminarily estimate that the remains of about 350 people who died in August 1943 may be located in this area. 

Currently, the work is in the stage of determining the site’s boundaries, after which the Institute of National Remembrance of Poland plans to obtain permission to conduct a full exhumation. While Ukraine and Poland continue their joint work on historical memory, in Russia, similar research into mass repressions is often blocked or censored by the state.

As a reminder, in May 2025, the exhumation of victims of the Volhynia tragedy, conducted by a Ukrainian-Polish expedition, was completed. A mass grave containing the remains of 42 people was found. Among them were 10 children.

The exhumation of victims of the Volhynia tragedy in Ukraine began in April 2025. Work began in the Ternopil region.

Ukraine allowed Poland to search for and exhume the victims of the Volhynia tragedy. In turn, Poland will support Ukraine’s aspirations to join the EU.

Prior to this, Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz stated that the Polish government should not approve Ukraine’s membership in the European Union in the future until the issue regarding the Volhynia tragedy of 1943 is resolved.

In December, the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture authorized Poland to conduct exhumation and search operations in the Ternopil and Volyn regions in 2026.