Former Polish PM accuses local Ukrainian officials of letting robbers plunder massacre victims’ graves, demands action from Warsaw

Former Polish Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński has accused local Ukrainian officials of allowing grave robbers to plunder the remains of victims from the World War II-era Volhynia massacres. Kaczyński, leader of the national-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, wrote on X on August 14, 2026, that his party would demand Polish government intervention to address the issue.

He alleged that Ukrainian officials were allowing "black diggers" to pilfer the graves of Polish victims stolen during the massacres and claimed that local Ukrainian authorities were complicit in the desecration. However, he did not provide specific locations or evidence to support his claims. Kaczyński called for the Polish state authorities, including the Foreign Ministry, to demand explanations and a response.

The evidence has not been made public. Meanwhile, Poland's Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) stated that Ukraine had authorized the latest excavations at Ostrówki and Wola Ostrowiecka in Volyn, where 55 victims, including 26 children, and over 300 personal items were recovered. The remains are scheduled to be buried at Ostrówki cemetery on August 30.

The excavation follows a thaw in relations between Poland and Ukraine, who have exchanged lists of sites for further searches. However, tensions remain high due to historical disputes over the UPA, a Ukrainian nationalist group responsible for the massacres of Polish civilians, and rising reports of hate crimes against Ukrainians in Poland.