Remains of about 30 people found in search for Ukrainians killed in 1944 in Poland

Ukrainian searchers have discovered the remains of about 30 people in the Polish village of Laskiv in the Lublin Voivodeship, the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance reported. The victims died during an attack by Polish armed formations in March 1944.

Photo credit: Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance

Specialists found both individual and mass graves at the local Orthodox cemetery. According to various historical data, more than 300 Ukrainians died during the mass killing in Laskiv.

The Polish side granted permission to survey the Orthodox cemetery on 31 August 2026, and the Ukrainian expedition began work on 6 October.

Searchers are examining the burial sites of Ukrainians killed on 10 March 1944 during an attack by units of the Home Army and the Peasants’ Battalions – Polish underground armed formations from the Second World War.

According to the preliminary results of the expedition, the remains of about 30 victims were found at the cemetery.

The head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance, Oleksandr Alfiorov, said Ukraine and Poland must ensure dignified commemoration of all the dead, regardless of their nationality or background.

Reconciliation between the countries requires respect for the memory of the victims, recognition of the suffering of both sides and a readiness for mutual understanding, he said. Alfiorov also thanked the Polish authorities for the opportunity to conduct the research.

Photo credit: Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance

Sviatoslav Sheremeta, the head of the Dolia municipal enterprise whose specialists are conducting the work, said the initial search results match the memories of former Laskiv residents who survived the attack in March 1944.

Ukrainian specialists plan to continue searching for other burial sites, after which they will exhume and rebury the dead, and properly honour their memory, he said.

The work is taking place in accordance with the agreements of the Ukrainian-Polish Working Group on Dignified Burials. Its members coordinate the surveying of historical burial sites, exhumations and the granting of necessary permits in both countries.

This is the second Ukrainian search expedition in Poland following a long break. The previous one was conducted in autumn 2025 in the village of Yurechkova.

On 10 March 1944, units of the Home Army and the Peasants’ Battalions attacked the village of Laskiv, located in the Kholm region.

According to historical data, more than 300 Ukrainian residents of the village died during the attack.

Researchers from Ukraine and Poland have established information about 327 Laskiv residents who were killed in 1944. At the same time, some historians estimate the number of people killed at about 350.

Some of the victims were buried at the local Orthodox cemetery. In addition, historians have information about two mass graves and individual graves in the village.

Further historical and search studies should help establish the final number of dead and their burial sites.

By way of background, Ukraine and Poland previously agreed to resume surveys of burials in both countries.

Specifically, in spring 2025, Polish and Ukrainian researchers conducted an exhumation at the site of the former village of Puzhnyky in the Ternopil Region (Oblast), where they found the remains of 42 people killed in 1945.

In September 2026, Ukrainian specialists also surveyed the burials of Polish and German soldiers at the Holoskiv cemetery in Lviv. As of 14 September, the remains of 90 people had been found there.

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