Mass Grave Search in Ternopil Region Ends with No Discoveries

Findings from the Joint Ukrainian-Polish Expedition

According to Главком: A collaborative mission between Ukrainian and Polish researchers near the former village of Puzhnyky in the Ternopil region failed to uncover a mass burial site for individuals killed in February 1945, despite digging roughly 50 exploratory trenches. The search, conducted from June 22 to 25, yielded only scattered pieces of a wooden coffin, buttons, and possible shoe fragments-indicating a single civilian grave rather than a mass one.

The expedition was organized by the specialized institution Volyn Antiquities. Participants included staff from the Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, representatives of the Freedom and Democracy Foundation, and the Polish Institute of National Remembrance. Oversight was provided by experts from the Memory utility of the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Council, at the initiative of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory (UINP).

Ongoing Research and Future Plans

An earlier phase of the investigation, running from April 23 to May 5, had uncovered the remains of 42 individuals and collected DNA samples. However, the Polish side has not released the results of genetic testing. By late 2025, a working group had approved a list of sites for search operations in 2026, which in Ukraine includes:

• Puzhnyky
• Holosko
• Ostrivky
• Ugly

And in Poland:

• Yurechkova
• Laskiv
• Sahryn

Ukraine has also received permission from the Polish side to conduct search and exhumation work in the village of Yurechkova. In June 2026, a Polish-Ukrainian expedition completed operations in Huta Pieniacka in the Lviv region, where a large mass grave was discovered near the foundation of a church. Additionally, in December 2025, Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture authorized new search efforts in Puzhnyky, as well as in the former colonies of Ostrivky and Volya Ostrovetska in Volyn.

Thus, despite active searching, the expedition at Puzhnyky did not confirm the presence of a mass grave, though it points to continued investigations in other areas.

This mission is part of broader, ongoing efforts by both nations to examine history and honor the memory of victims from past conflicts.

It is important to note that, even without confirmed mass burials at Puzhnyky, work persists, and new studies are planned elsewhere-reflecting a commitment to preserving the memory of victims and continuing the pursuit of historical truth.

The search in the Ternopil region highlights the ongoing efforts to uncover Ukraine's tragic history during World War II. In contrast, a recent discovery in the Lviv region reveals a mass grave from 1944, shedding light on the atrocities faced by civilians. For more details on this significant find, visit the recent uncovering of a mass grave in Ukraine’s Lviv region.