Exhumation of ancient graves is underway at the Lychakiv military cemetery (above the burial place of the newest Heroes of Ukraine). The work is carried out by specialists of the “Fate” Memorial and Search Center. As of now, it was possible to find the remains of 65 people.
According to the director of the humanitarian policy department of the Lviv City Council Yevhen Boyko, according to external signs, these are burials that were carried out after the Second World War. Some of the remains were completely preserved, others – only partially.
“The ancient burials have been known for a long time. However, the question of exhumation is complex, it requires quality research work, justification and time for approval. The large-scale invasion of the Russians into Ukraine was also a good reason for the exhumation – our fallen Heroes are buried on the Field of Mars, and the war, unfortunately, is still going on. So the place for their dignified burial should be properly prepared. After passing all procedures, permits were obtained from the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine and local self-government bodies,” the official explains.
On the territory where the exhumation is being carried out, there was a cemetery from the time of the First World War. Dead servicemen of various armies who took part in the hostilities of that time on our territory are buried here (the armies of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, the German Kaiser’s army, the Turkish army, the Russian imperial army). In addition, the Soviet authorities conducted their own, “additional” burial when they came to Lviv. In the upper part of the fenced area there are burials from the First World War, and in the lower part – from the post-war period. As for the post-war period, it is the burial of NKVD soldiers who died in battles with the UPA. Of the 3,400 surnames that are on the slabs of the central alley, only 111 date back to 1944. Researchers believe that not all of these 111 people can be front-line soldiers.
The found graves of the First World War will be moved nearby, to fields No. 84 and No. 85, where the Memorial Complex will be built in the future. Instead, the rest from Soviet times (1944-1950s) will be kept in a special depository until further decisions are made. It is worth noting that at one time the Soviet authorities “drove” with tractors to the place of burials of soldiers of the Austrian army, and they were people of different nationalities, destroyed everything and started conducting military and private burials on top of it.
We will remind you that the city plans to announce an international architectural competition for the construction of the Memorial complex here.