Ukraine Has Not Restricted Exhumations of Volhynia Massacre Victims, Polish Official Says

Ukraine has not placed any restrictions on the exhumation of Polish victims of the Volhynia Massacre, a Polish official has confirmed, with no signs that Kyiv intends to reimpose such limits. The statement came from Adamski, a Polish official involved in Polish-Ukrainian historical reconciliation efforts, who indicated that the exhumation process — allowing Poland to recover and identify the remains of victims killed in one of World War II's most painful episodes — is continuing without obstruction from Ukrainian authorities. The Volhynia Massacre, carried out primarily in 1943–1944 in what is now western Ukraine, saw the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) kill an estimated 50,000 to 100,000 ethnic Poles in the Volhynia and Eastern Galicia regions. The atrocity remains one of the most sensitive historical issues between Poland and Ukraine, with Poland having long pressed for full acknowledgment, access to burial sites, and the right to exhume and repatriate the remains of victims. Ukraine had previously imposed restrictions on such exhumations, which had strained bilateral relations. The issue carries particular geopolitical weight given the ongoing war in Ukraine and the critical role Poland plays as one of Kyiv's most important allies and a key transit hub for Western military aid. Any deterioration in Polish-Ukrainian relations over historical disputes could complicate broader European solidarity with Ukraine, making continued cooperation on the exhumation question diplomatically significant.