Polish researchers exhume victims at Wola Ostrowiecka, uncover personal items from Volhynian genocide

Archaeologists from Poland's Institute of National Remembrance are conducting a second week of exhumations at the former village of Wola Ostrowiecka in the Volhynian region. The work continues a series of digs carried out in 1992, 2011 and 2015 that together have recovered the remains of 674 victims of the World War II‑era Volhynian massacre.

Lead archaeologist Dr Dominika Siemińska said the most challenging part is locating the mass graves, which requires analysing witness testimonies, old maps and aerial photos before the actual excavation can begin. So far the current effort has uncovered the remains of at least 38 individuals. Personal artifacts such as small buttons, medals, a pair of shoes, belt buckles and beads have also been retrieved, providing tangible links to the victims.

The project aims to identify the deceased and give them proper burials, while documenting the material evidence of the atrocities committed during the conflict.