No progress yet on restoring vandalized Ukrainian burials in Poland, but this year should yield different results – Alforov
Oleksandr Alforov, Head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance, expects that 2026 will bring results regarding the restoration of vandalized Ukrainian burial sites in Poland.
"This is a fairly direct question, but it lacks a simple answer because it stems from another issue—the attitude of Polish society toward these objects. There is a law that protects some sites, and another that says these sites cannot be under protection… It seems exhumations and reburials have begun, and a major Congress of Historians is being prepared. However, unfortunately, among our Polish friends, the focus of identifying a historical enemy has occasionally begun to shift. The Polish people suffered greatly from Russia, but today, it seems to me, the focus can strangely shift toward Ukraine. I cannot say what this is related to," Alforov said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
He noted that the issue is not just whether the sites will be restored, but how Polish society views them.
"It is a very difficult story because the degree of anti-Ukrainian sentiment, fueled by the escalation of the situation regarding the UPA and Bandera, is already high enough. There are also negative examples where the attitude toward Ukrainians as a people is derived solely from the promotion of UPA, OUN, and Bandera themes in the Polish environment. But we need to find common ground with Poland so that not only societies find peace, but also the civilian victims of 1939–1947," the head of UIPN stated.
When asked specifically if there has been progress in restoring and protecting Ukrainian burial sites in Poland, Alforov admitted: "One can say there has been no progress. This year, I am sure, will yield different results."
He emphasized that he would make every effort to ensure that search operations and exhumations continue and expects the same from his Polish colleagues.
"I am very glad our presidents found common ground in the context of honoring victims. I am very pleased that our institutes of national remembrance—Polish and Ukrainian—are moving toward cooperation and dialogue. We have different histories. But we are two mature nations that have been neighbors for a millennium. Shared pain should not hinder the future," said the head of the Institute.
As previously reported, in 2024, then-head of the UIPN Anton Drobovych stated that the roadmap for overcoming the crisis in historical relations between Ukraine and Poland must include the restoration of vandalized Ukrainian burials. At that time, former institute head and MP Volodymyr Viatrovych argued that resolving disputes over the shared past had devolved into unilateral obligations for Ukraine, noting a lack of reciprocity regarding the honoring of deceased Ukrainians in Poland.
