Second Stage Of Search Operations In Puzhnyky, Ternopil Region, To Begin In Late May

(MENAFN- UkrinForm) This was reported to Ukrinform by Maciej Dancewicz, Deputy Head of the Freedom and Democracy Foundation, which initiated the process of obtaining this permit from the Polish side.

“This concerns the end of May – beginning of June. The work will last a maximum of two weeks. After the first stage of search operations, we significantly narrowed the search area,” Dancewicz said, adding that the final timing of the operations is still being coordinated.

He noted that the second stage of search operations will be conducted under the same conditions as the first. In particular, the Ukrainian partner will be the LLC Specialized Institution Volyn Antiquities. In addition, a group of experts from the Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin will work on-site from the Polish side, along with researchers from the Polish Institute of National Remembrance (IPN).

According to Dancewicz, a small group of about ten people will be involved in the search operations.

He said that if remains are found, the group will then seek permission from local authorities in Ternopil, and later from the national authorities in Kyiv, to carry out exhumation work. He suggested that this work could possibly be conducted next year.

Overall, the group plans to uncover the remains of approximately 40 more people at the site.

Dancewicz also stated that the organizers of the search operations in Puzhnyky have already received financial support for the work from the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.

** Read also:** Culture Ministry confirms search operations to begin in Uhli village, Rivne region

As Ukrinform previously reported, the first stage of exhumation work on the territory of the former village of Puzhnyky took place from April 23 to May 5, 2025. It was conducted by a joint Ukrainian-Polish expedition under the professional and security supervision of the Ukrainian side. During the exhumation, the remains of 42 people were discovered. DNA analysis was conducted in Poland.

In September, a reburial ceremony for the remains discovered during the search operations in Puzhnyky was held in the Ternopil region. Representatives of the Ukrainian and Polish authorities, as well as about 40 descendants of the former residents of Puzhnyky, attended the ceremony.

The exhumations in Puzhnyky at the end of April – beginning of May this year were described in Warsaw as a“breakthrough” in Polish-Ukrainian relations.

Photo for illustration purposes

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