A research team from the memorial-search center «Dolia» in Lviv commenced exhumation and search operations in Poland on Tuesday. This was reported by Radio Liberty.
The expedition is investigating a forested area in the Carpathians, specifically in the village of Yurechkova, located in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship. It is believed that up to 18 soldiers of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), who died in a battle against the Polish People's Army in 1947, may be buried here. Experts indicate that the UPA fighters were defending the local Ukrainian population from forced deportation.
The first day of the search faced challenges due to rainy weather; however, the team began to remove soil layers up to a meter deep using machinery to uncover potential burial sites near a previously established metal cross.
The Ukrainian group will continue its search until October 4. If remains are found, their exhumation will commence, which may take up to a month.
The battle in Yurechkova occurred on March 4, 1947, but the exact burial site remains unclear. It is still unknown how and by whom the bodies of the deceased fighters were transported.
Before World War II, the village belonged to the Dobromyl County of the Lviv Voivodeship, primarily inhabited by Greek-Catholic Ukrainians. Following the arrival of the Red Army in September 1939, Yurechkova became part of the USSR and was included in the Drohobych region.
After the war in 1945, Yurechkova became part of Poland. The Ukrainian population was forcibly resettled from this area, but local UPA members resisted.
On September 6, a ceremony of reburial for remains found during the search operations in Puzhnyky took place in Ternopil region. Officials from Ukraine and Poland attended, along with around 40 descendants of former residents of Puzhnyky. Deputy Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications Andriy Nadzhus announced that the Ukrainian expedition would begin search and exhumation operations in Yurechkova on September 30. According to Nadzhus, the search is expected to involve the remains of about 20 individuals - UPA soldiers, as indicated by Ukrainian historians' research. Overall, the Polish side has authorized Ukraine to conduct search and exhumation works at four locations.