Another Stage Of Search Operations Completed In Puzhnyky, No Mass Grave Found

(MENAFN- UkrinForm) No mass grave was found, but the team uncovered the foundations of a cemetery chapel. The Specialized Institution Volyn Antiquities told Ukrinform.

"During the search operation, we continued surveying the area in the northeastern part of the old Puzhnyky cemetery. Using machinery, the expedition members dug 36 exploratory trenches across an area of approximately half a hectare. We managed to establish the boundaries of the cemetery and identify the remains of three structures. We preliminarily believe that we found the foundations of a chapel where funeral services were held before burials, as well as an outbuilding. We also discovered stone masonry that may have been part of a road," the institution said.

It also noted that Puzhnyky is a challenging site for search operations because of its hilly terrain, which is overgrown with forest and shrubs.

According to the Specialized Institution Volyn Antiquities, the area of Puzhnyky is to be surveyed using LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), a modern method of scanning the Earth's surface that will help locate the mass grave. However, the necessary permit for the survey is still being processed.

The Ukrainian team included search specialists from the Specialized Institution Volyn Antiquities. The Polish side was represented by experts from the Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin and representatives of the Freedom and Democracy Foundation.

Earlier, in a comment to Ukrinform, Maciej Danczewicz, Vice President of the Freedom and Democracy Foundation, said that search operations in Puzhnyky were expected to resume next year.

As Ukrinform reported, the third stage of search operations in Puzhnyky began on November 4. Seven specialists took part in the Ukrainian-Polish expedition.

On September 1 this year, Ukrainian and Polish specialists resumed search operations in Puzhnyky, Ternopil region. They failed to find a mass grave.

Read also: More than 40 sets of World War II remains exhumed in Mlyniv, Rivne region

The exhumation of the remains of people killed during World War II at the site of the former village of Puzhnyky took place from April 23 to May 5, 2025. The work was carried out by a joint Ukrainian-Polish expedition under the professional and security supervision of the Ukrainian side. The remains of 42 people were found during the exhumation. DNA testing is being conducted in Poland.

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

In Warsaw, the exhumation carried out in Puzhnyky, Ternopil region, in late April and early May this year was described as a "breakthrough" in Polish-Ukrainian relations. The exhumation was conducted as part of the search operations.

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