DNA testing of remains exhumed in Puzhnyky to take 2–3 months

This was announced during a briefing in Ternopil by Deputy Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications Andrii Nadzhos, according to a Ukrinform correspondent.

“Experts have told us that DNA testing of the remains exhumed in Puzhnyky will preliminarily take from two to three months. Around the end of summer, we will begin preparations for reburial,” said Andrii Nadzhos.

He added that scientists are still working, and there is no final data on the gender of the discovered remains.

“We’re seeing some inconsistencies with the data reported by the Polish expedition. To accurately determine whether the remains are male, female, or children, and the causes of death, additional work from forensic experts and anthropologists is required. These efforts are ongoing, and there are still some disagreements that we would like to resolve not on a political level, but through expert dialogue,” Nadzhos said.

The remains found during the exhumation in Puzhnyky may have been buried during different time periods.

“This is an old cemetery. Some remains were found beneath the roots of an old tree. The age of the tree may exceed the age of the human burials. Some individuals may have been buried in 1945, while others could date back to the 1930s. These could be ordinary civilian burials, placed in coffins, as this is cemetery land. Victims of World War II may have been buried in older graves.”

As Ukrinform previously reported, exhumation works in Puzhnyky, Ternopil region, began on April 24. The excavation involved both Ukrainian and Polish specialists. From Ukraine, the team from the specialized institution Volyn Antiquities, led by Alina Kharlamova, participated. From Poland, experts from the Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin and representatives of the Freedom and Democracy foundation were involved.

During the exhumation in Puzhnyky, the joint Ukrainian-Polish expedition uncovered the remains of 42 individuals. They are to be reburied this summer in the village of Puzhnyky.

Negotiations between Ukraine and Poland regarding exhumation work have been ongoing since last year. At the end of November 2024, during a joint press conference by the Foreign Ministers of Poland and Ukraine, Radosław Sikorski and Andrii Sybiha, the moratorium on the search and exhumation of Polish citizens’ remains buried in Ukraine effective since 2017 was lifted. On January 8, 2025, the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications gave approval for the exhumation in Puzhnyky. The next phase of joint search and exhumation work is to take place in Poland.