Huta Pieniacka: two events, perpetrators, numbers and the new search

01

Two records that must not be merged

The same place name appears in two separate episodes.

A February 1943 record describes an attack, killings of Poles and the burning of Huta Pieniacka, but gives no secure day, victim total or complete perpetrator identification. The massacre of 28 February 1944 is supported by testimony, institutional records, an investigation and modern fieldwork. Merging them would transfer the perpetrators, toll and detailed course of the 1944 event onto a poorly documented 1943 episode. The portal therefore preserves two records and displays uncertainty rather than filling gaps from a similar entry. ^1,2

02

The village before its destruction

Huta Pieniacka was a community, not merely a future crime site.

Before the war Huta Pieniacka was one of the larger Polish villages in the area, with more than 170 households, a brick church, a school and community life. During the occupation refugees arrived from Volhynia and other threatened places. Memory accounts also mention aid to Jews and contact with Soviet partisans. These facts complicate counting: victims were not necessarily listed as pre-war residents and some families were present only temporarily. Population, permanent residents and people present on 28 February are different categories. ^2,8,11

03

Occupation, refugees and self-defence

The village existed amid several armed forces and growing danger.

In 1943 and early 1944 residents received news of attacks on Polish settlements. A self-defence group sought to protect the village from UPA and local groups, but it could not match a regular police formation under German command. Soviet partisan activity also attracted occupation authorities. The presence of armed guards must be distinguished from the civilian status of the population; most victims were unarmed residents, refugees, women, children and elderly people. ^2,15,12

04

23 February 1944: a clash, not the massacre itself

Five days before the pacification an armed encounter occurred near the village.

On the night of 23 February a patrol or detachment linked to the 4th Galician SS Police Regiment entered the area. The self-defence group, initially believing it faced UPA, opened fire. Police personnel were killed and wounded. Documents revealed the German formation, prompting expectations of retaliation and a decision to hide weapons and withdraw some armed men. The clash may have served as an immediate pretext, but it cannot justify the murder of civilians. ^2,15,11

05

Who attacked: the narrowest defensible attribution

The shorthand “SS Galizien” blurs the difference between a police regiment and the Waffen-SS division.

Institutional accounts primarily identify Ukrainian personnel of the 4th Galician SS Police Regiment, recruited from volunteers for the “Galizien” division but then operating as a separate police formation within the German command system. IPN materials also attribute participation to UPA units, local groups and nationalists. The description must name the executing unit, German command framework and supporting forces without collapsing them into one organisation. Writing only “Germans” or only “UPA” would both be misleading. ^2,8,16

06

28 February: encirclement and the appearance of control

The attack began in the morning with control of the village space.

The attackers encircled the village and entered with numerical and military superiority. Residents were removed from homes and gathered at designated points, including near the church. Testimonies repeatedly describe selection and movement of groups to barns or farm buildings. The appearance of controlled procedure reduced escape opportunities. The crime did not occur at one coordinate; it involved approaches, the church, assembly points, barns, homes, shooting sites and later graves. ^2,11,15

07

Killing and destruction of the settlement

The operation killed people and erased the village’s material structure.

Sources describe shootings, killings inside buildings and groups locked in barns that were set on fire. Fire served as a weapon, a means of destroying evidence and a way to erase the settlement. MKiDN materials refer to 172 buildings burned. Scorching on bones found in 2026 is consistent with the accounts, but systematic conclusions about individual causes of death require exhumation and forensic examination. Archaeology confirms scale and space, not automatically every personal circumstance. ^11,3,4

08

Survival had no single mechanism

About 160 survivors followed different routes of escape and testimony.

IPN materials state that about 160 people survived, but not as one group from one shelter. Some left with the withdrawn self-defence, others hid outside the buildings, escaped during confusion, emerged from burning structures or were overlooked. Survivor testimony is fundamental, yet was recorded at different times and must be compared with maps, parish records, occupation documents, victim lists and archaeology. Source criticism strengthens rather than dismisses testimony. ^2,8,3

09

Why the victim total is not one simple number

Ranges from 600–800 to about 850, 1,000 and the wider 500–1,100 come from different source categories.

No single number can be copied into every field without explanation. IPN materials most often cite about 850 murdered people, publications referring to Grzegorz Motyka give 600–800, the memorial inscription states about 1,000, and anniversary materials have also used 500–1,100. These figures reflect incomplete resident lists, refugees, destroyed documentation and different source functions. A memorial inscription, a historian’s estimate and a forensic finding are not interchangeable. The June 2026 search did not settle the total: remains in 25 locations do not mean 25 individuals, and grave area cannot determine the number buried. Exhumation and anthropological analysis are required to establish a minimum number of persons. ^{14,15,11,3,13}

10

Responsibility: unit, command and accompanying forces

The narrowest defensible description is better than one broad label.

Attribution must separate the German occupation and command framework, the specific field unit, personnel and supporting groups. IPN materials identify the 4th Galician SS Police Regiment, formed from Ukrainian volunteers and operating under German command. This is more precise than simply writing “SS Galizien”, although the formations were connected through recruitment history. Institutional sources also attribute participation to UPA detachments and local nationalist groups, but the extent must follow the cited evidence. Ethnicity does not create collective guilt, while German command does not erase individual responsibility for carrying out the operation. ^2,14,15,16

11

How the village disappeared and what its location means today

The former village, memorial and burial area are not one point.

Huta Pieniacka was not rebuilt as a functioning village after 28 February 1944. The destruction of 172 buildings, the killing of residents and the dispersal of survivors ended settlement continuity. A modern map must distinguish the former village centre, the 2005 memorial and the burial locations found in 2026. The principal grave of about 72 m² is only one part of a wider area. Approximate coordinates are acceptable when their precision is stated; false metre-level accuracy without evidence is not. ^11,15,8,3

12

The memorial, association and work on named remembrance

Commemoration organises memory but does not replace forensic documentation.

The memorial unveiled in 2005 created a permanent place of remembrance where the village itself had disappeared. The Huta Pieniacka Association, active since 2008, collects testimony, photographs and family names. This work restores individual identity, but a commemorative list is not automatically a forensic list. Each name should be labelled by source, such as inscription, parish record, family testimony, official document or identification result. Transparent versioning protects rather than weakens remembrance. ^8,11,10,12

13

Polish-Ukrainian memory: gestures, vandalism and caution

Joint ceremonies and conflicts around the memorial belong to the site’s history but do not replace findings about the crime.

The 2009 ceremony attended by the presidents of Poland and Ukraine showed that remembrance of Polish victims could enter interstate dialogue without denying Ukrainian historical experience. The memorial was vandalised in 2017 and later repaired. Such incidents require the same source discipline as wartime events: damage can be documented, but perpetrators, motives or alleged provocation must not be invented without findings. The 2026 joint search marks a new procedural and expert-based phase of memory work. ^10,9,12,5,13

14

From application to permission: why the procedure took years

Permission to search was not permission for a full exhumation.

The Polish work programme was submitted on 17 October 2025, approved regionally on 15 December, announced as a first positive decision on 12 February 2026 and finally authorised by Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture on 18 February. IPN said the effort had lasted almost seven years. The permission covered searches and verification, not the removal of all remains. Exhumation requires a separate programme covering the team, evidence handling, anthropology, DNA and reburial. Keeping these administrative stages separate prevents misleading claims that one permission resolved the entire process. ^6,7,5

15

Search, exhumation, identification and burial

Each stage answers a different question and carries a different level of certainty.

The search conducted on 8–19 June 2026 covered more than 4,000 m². Remains were found in 25 locations across more than 200 m², with a principal grave of about 72 m² and evidence of intense burning. Search establishes location and extent. Exhumation removes and documents remains. Anthropology establishes a minimum number of individuals and biological information. DNA may support named identification when comparative samples exist. Reburial is a separate final stage. Ukraine’s UINP stressed that exhumation is needed to establish the number and circumstances more precisely. ^3,4,13

16

How the portal should record Huta Pieniacka

A good record does not erase uncertainty but assigns it to the relevant field.

The 28 February 1944 event record should keep the date, destroyed-settlement status, Polish civilian victim group and a sourced range with competing estimates in a separate field. Perpetrator attribution should identify the 4th Galician SS Police Regiment under German command and add other formations only where sources support them. The February 1943 source record must remain separate. Map geometry should distinguish the former village, memorial and search area. June 2026 results should record locations and area without converting them into a victim count. This dossier has an evidence cutoff of 27 July 2026. ^1,2,3,14,11

Timeline

1. February 1943: A separate, less documented record

   A source database records an attack, killings of Poles and the burning of the village, but without a secure total or grounds to merge it with the 1944 massacre. ¹

2. 1943–1944: Refugees and self-defence

   Polish refugees arrived from surrounding localities, and a self-defence structure linked to the underground operated in the village. ^2,15

3. 1944-02-23: Clash before the pacification

   The self-defence clashed with a patrol connected to the Galician SS police, forming part of the immediate context of the later operation. ^2,15

4. 1944-02-28: Massacre and destruction of Huta Pieniacka

   The village was surrounded, residents and refugees were assembled, killed in buildings and the settlement was burned. ^2,11,14

5. 1944-03: The village was not rebuilt

   Survivors dispersed and Huta Pieniacka ceased to exist as a continuous settlement community. ^8,11

6. 2005: Memorial unveiled

   A permanent memorial with crosses and an inscription dedicated to the victims was established at the former village. ^8,11

7. 2008: Huta Pieniacka Association founded

   Descendants and memory custodians formalised work on testimony, names and commemorations. ⁸

8. 2009-02-28: Joint presidential commemoration

   The presidents of Poland and Ukraine attended the 65th anniversary commemoration. ¹⁰

9. 2017-01: Memorial vandalised

   Damage to the memorial prompted a Polish diplomatic response; perpetrators and motive had to remain separate from the documented fact of vandalism. ⁹

10. 2018: Recognition of the association’s work

    IPN presented the association’s work as an example of sustained protection of national memory. ⁸

11. 2025-10-17: Work programme submitted

    The Polish search programme was formally submitted to the Ukrainian side. ⁶

12. 2025-12-15: Regional approval

    The relevant regional authority approved the proposed stage of work. ⁶

13. 2026-02-12: First public notice of approval

    IPN announced the first positive decision concerning Huta Pieniacka. ⁶

14. 2026-02-18: Final permission for the search

    Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture authorised search work, not a full exhumation. ⁷

15. 8–19 June 2026: Joint fieldwork

    A Polish-Ukrainian team began archaeological and search work across the former village. ^5,13

16. 2026-06-19: Search results announced

    After examining more than 4,000 m², the team confirmed remains in 25 locations, a principal grave of about 72 m² and the need for a separate exhumation stage. ^3,4,13

Edition and citation

A stable bibliographic reference for research, teaching and publication.

Editorial status

Published public dossier

Release

v3.14.4

Updated

July 28, 2026

Canonical address

https://upamemorials.org/en/dossier/huta-pieniacka-two-events/

Recommended citation

UPA Memorials, “Huta Pieniacka: two events, perpetrators, numbers and the new search”, public dossier, v3.14.4, July 28, 2026, https://upamemorials.org/en/dossier/huta-pieniacka-two-events/

Source ledger

1. 1. Zbrodnia w miejscowości Huta Pieniacka, luty 1943 r., Primary source index, Instytut Pamięci Narodowej, projekt Zbrodnia Wołyńska, access checked July 27, 2026

   Source used for the reconstruction of Huta Pieniacka: Zbrodnia w miejscowości Huta Pieniacka, luty 1943 r..

2. 2. Archiwum Pełne Pamięci: Zbrodnia w Hucie Pieniackiej, Institutional source, Instytut Pamięci Narodowej, access checked July 27, 2026

   Source used for the reconstruction of Huta Pieniacka: Archiwum Pełne Pamięci: Zbrodnia w Hucie Pieniackiej.

3. 3. Komunikat o zakończeniu prac poszukiwawczych w Hucie Pieniackiej, Institutional source, Instytut Pamięci Narodowej, access checked July 27, 2026

   Source used for the reconstruction of Huta Pieniacka: Komunikat o zakończeniu prac poszukiwawczych w Hucie Pieniackiej.

4. 4. Komunikat o zakończeniu prac poszukiwawczych w Hucie Pieniackiej, Institutional source, Ministerstwo Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego, access checked July 27, 2026

   Source used for the reconstruction of Huta Pieniacka: Komunikat o zakończeniu prac poszukiwawczych w Hucie Pieniackiej.

5. 5. Rozpoczęcie prac poszukiwawczych w Hucie Pieniackiej na Ukrainie, Institutional source, Instytut Pamięci Narodowej, access checked July 27, 2026

   Source used for the reconstruction of Huta Pieniacka: Rozpoczęcie prac poszukiwawczych w Hucie Pieniackiej na Ukrainie.

6. 6. Pierwsza pozytywna decyzja Ukrainy dotycząca Huty Pieniackiej, Institutional source, Instytut Pamięci Narodowej, access checked July 27, 2026

   Source used for the reconstruction of Huta Pieniacka: Pierwsza pozytywna decyzja Ukrainy dotycząca Huty Pieniackiej.

7. 7. Ministerstwo Kultury Ukrainy wydało ostateczną zgodę na prace poszukiwawcze, Institutional source, Instytut Pamięci Narodowej, access checked July 27, 2026

   Source used for the reconstruction of Huta Pieniacka: Ministerstwo Kultury Ukrainy wydało ostateczną zgodę na prace poszukiwawcze.

8. 8. Stowarzyszenie Huta Pieniacka, Institutional source, Instytut Pamięci Narodowej, access checked July 27, 2026

   Source used for the reconstruction of Huta Pieniacka: Stowarzyszenie Huta Pieniacka.

9. 9. Ambasada RP reaguje na dewastację pomnika w Hucie Pieniackiej, Institutional source, Instytut Pamięci Narodowej, access checked July 27, 2026

   Source used for the reconstruction of Huta Pieniacka: Ambasada RP reaguje na dewastację pomnika w Hucie Pieniackiej.

10. 10. Wystąpienie podczas obchodów 65. rocznicy pacyfikacji Huty Pieniackiej, Primary source index, Prezydent Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej, access checked July 27, 2026

    Source used for the reconstruction of Huta Pieniacka: Wystąpienie podczas obchodów 65. rocznicy pacyfikacji Huty Pieniackiej.

11. 11. Upamiętnienie ofiar zbrodni w Hucie Pieniackiej, Institutional source, Ministerstwo Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego, access checked July 27, 2026

    Source used for the reconstruction of Huta Pieniacka: Upamiętnienie ofiar zbrodni w Hucie Pieniackiej.

12. 12. Do uczestników obchodów 82. rocznicy zbrodni w Hucie Pieniackiej, Primary source index, Prezydent Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej, access checked July 27, 2026

    Source used for the reconstruction of Huta Pieniacka: Do uczestników obchodów 82. rocznicy zbrodni w Hucie Pieniackiej.

13. 13. Завершилися пошукові дослідження у Гуті Пеняцькій, Institutional source, Український інститут національної пам’яті, access checked July 27, 2026

    Source used for the reconstruction of Huta Pieniacka: Завершилися пошукові дослідження у Гуті Пеняцькій.

14. 14. Commemorating Poles murdered in Huta Pieniacka, Institutional source, Institute of National Remembrance, access checked July 27, 2026

    Source used for the reconstruction of Huta Pieniacka: Commemorating Poles murdered in Huta Pieniacka.

15. 15. Obchody 75. rocznicy zbrodni w Hucie Pieniackiej, Institutional source, Ministerstwo Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego, access checked July 27, 2026

    Source used for the reconstruction of Huta Pieniacka: Obchody 75. rocznicy zbrodni w Hucie Pieniackiej.

16. 16. Obchody 76. rocznicy zagłady Huty Pieniackiej, Institutional source, Instytut Pamięci Narodowej, access checked July 27, 2026

    Source used for the reconstruction of Huta Pieniacka: Obchody 76. rocznicy zagłady Huty Pieniackiej.