IPN representatives lit candles and laid wreaths at the burial sites of Polish citizens exterminated by OUN militias and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA).

The IPN Deputy President was accompanied by the Director of the Human Resources Office Mateusz Kotecki, Deputy Director of the Office for Commemorating the Struggle and Martyrdom Leon Popek, Ph.D., Deputy Director of the Office of International Cooperation Mateusz Marek, Ph.D., and Senior Specialist of the Spokesperson’s Office Andrzej Węcławek.

On 13 July, the IPN delegation took part in a ceremony of unveiling a grave memorial in the village of Sielec, at the site where three Polish families murdered in the summer of 1943 are buried.

The event was inaugurated by a field Mass presided over by Lutsk Bishop Vitaly Skomarovsky.

May God give victory to the struggling Ukraine. May God give Ukraine the courage to take the final step towards reconciliation with the Poles. May He allow us to bury with dignity and in a Christian manner our ancestors resting in the pits of death in this land. That’s all we want, said the IPN Deputy President during the ceremony.

The IPN delegation visited also the former parish cemeteries in Holoby and Sokul, where Karol Polejowski, Ph.D., laid wreaths at the section of 80 Poles murdered on 30 August 1943.

In the village of Sokul, Prof. Karol Polejowski placed a symbolic cross at the site of the burial of Polish Army soldiers killed during the fighting against the Soviet army.

On 14 July, the IPN delegation attended a Mass at the Cathedral of St. Apostles Peter and Paul in Lutsk. The liturgy was concelebrated by the Bishop of Lutsk Vitali Skomarovsky.

The IPN representatives traveled to Torczyn, where they lit candles at the memorials of murdered Poles. A special tribute was paid to Leopold Lis-Kula – one of the bravest officers killed near Torczyn on 7 March 1919 during battles against the Ukrainians.

The last site visited in Ukraine was the former Roman Catholic cemetery in Zaturce. This former necropolis was renovated thanks to the efforts of Poles and Ukrainians who participated in a reconciliation workshop.

Read more about the Volhynian Massacre: https://volhyniamassacre.eu/