Search operations in the village of Łasków, in Poland’s Lublin region, have located individual and collective burial sites believed to contain the remains of more than 40 people killed during the Second World War.
The findings were announced on 20 October 2026 by the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory, following fieldwork conducted between 2 and 16 October. The investigation was commissioned by the institute and carried out by the Ukrainian search organisation Dolia, with authorisation from the Polish authorities.
Preliminary assessments indicate that the burial sites contain the remains of women, children and men.
Victims of the March 1944 massacre
The investigation concerns Ukrainian civilians reportedly killed on 10 March 1944. According to contemporary historical reporting, the killings were carried out by units of the Polish Home Army (Armia Krajowa) and the Peasant Battalions (Bataliony Chłopskie).
An earlier report published by Notes from Poland on 15 October 2026, while fieldwork was still underway, reported the discovery of approximately 30 sets of remains. The subsequent announcement by the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory raised the provisional figure to more than 40.
Further investigations planned for 2027
Although the search operations have successfully located the burial sites, the identification process remains at an early stage.
According to the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory, further archaeological and forensic investigations will be necessary to establish more precise information concerning the number of victims, their ages, sex and circumstances of death.
Additional exhumation work is planned for spring 2027. Until these investigations have been completed, the remains cannot be considered individually identified, and the total number of victims remains subject to further examination.
The discoveries in Łasków represent an important development in the ongoing investigation into civilian deaths in the region during the final years of the Second World War.
Sources:
- Ukrainian Institute of National Memory – 20 October 2026.
- Notes from Poland – 15 October 2026.
