Burial of remains of 55 Poles is continuing in Volyn
Funeral ceremonies have begun in Volyn for the remains of 55 Polish victims of the Volhynia tragedy, which were exhumed in July and August in the area of the former villages of Ostrivky and Volia Ostrovetska. The families of the deceased, as well as representatives of the Polish and Ukrainian authorities, are taking part in the events.
According to Censor.NET, this is reported by RMF24.
They will be buried in existing mass graves
The remains of 55 victims, exhumed in July and August, will be buried at the Polish cemetery in Ostrivky. They will be laid to rest in one of the two existing mass graves, created as a result of previous exhumations in 1992, 2011 and 2015.
Who is taking part in the reburial?
The families of those killed and numerous representatives of the Polish and Ukrainian authorities are taking part in the ceremony.
Among those present were, in particular, Piotr Zgorzelski, Deputy Speaker of the Sejm; Marta Chenkovska, Minister of Culture and National Heritage; and Karol Polejowski, Deputy Director of the Institute of National Remembrance.
Former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Paweł Kowal, Chair of the Sejm’s Foreign Affairs Committee, also arrived at the scene.
The Ukrainian side was represented, in particular, by Ivan Verbytskyi, Deputy Minister of Culture.
The Deputy Head of the Institute of National Remembrance emphasised that "this is truly an important day for Poland". He pointed out that the mass graves discovered during excavations in Ostrivky and Volia Ostrovetska contained the remains of many women and children.
"The surviving documentation, historical sources and eyewitness accounts correspond with what we are actually finding here as we carry out search and then exhumation work. This exceptionally high proportion of children and women indicates that this was simply a genocide that was planned and carried out in cold blood," emphasised the deputy chair of the IPN.
What led up to it
- Ukraine and Poland have completed exhumation work in the former villages of Ostrivky and Volia Ostrovetska in Volhynia. The investigations uncovered the remains of 55 victims, including 26 children.
