Ukraine to Grant Poland Access to Classified Files on Volhynia Tragedy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a series of diplomatic and humanitarian initiatives aimed at strengthening relations with Poland on July 17.

Following a high-level government meeting focused on Ukraine's policy toward Poland, the state committed to unsealing the historical archives of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Foreign Intelligence Service regarding the tragic events of the 20th century in Volhynia.

Ukraine will also grant a substantial number of additional permits for historical search and exhumation works, while boosting joint capabilities with Poland to carry out these operations.

The meeting outline establishes five primary areas of cooperation designed to advance bilateral ties. According to President Zelenskyy, relations between the two nations must be grounded in the principles of good neighborliness, equality, mutual benefit, and respect. Zelenskyy expressed gratitude to Poland for its unwavering support since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Beyond the opening of intelligence files and expanding archeological undertakings, the state intends to expand the dialogue between Ukrainian and Polish societies.

To implement these strategic adjustments, Zelenskyy instructed Oleksandr Alforov, the head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance, to draft systematic proposals to scale up the institution's capabilities. The President called upon government officials and the relevant committee of the Verkhovna Rada  to consider increasing financial and structural support for the institute.

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Joint efforts to address historical grievances have seen gradual progress over the last few years. In 2023, a Polish delegation led by Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki visited a cemetery in the former village of Puzhnyky, located in the Koropets community of the Ternopil region.

Ukrainian and Polish archeologists worked nearby to locate the remains of Poles who died in the village during the Soviet occupation in 1945.

In an effort by Russian intelligence services to disrupt bilateral relations between Ukraine and Poland, a planned publication of fabricated historical documents was accompanied by a coordinated information campaign across Russian state media, the Center for Countering Disinformation reported on July 4.

Furthermore, Ukrainian officials documented a significant escalation in activity by Russian-linked bot networks, which systematically targeted Polish audiences with manipulative content and emotionally charged narratives focusing on contentious chapters of shared history.

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