Exhumation research at the Hill of Glory in Lviv reveals discrepancies in the placement of Soviet burials
Exhumation studies of Soviet burials at the Hill of Glory in Lviv are being conducted by specialists from the Lviv Regional Council’s communal enterprise ‘Memorial-Search Center ‘Dolya’.
According to the director of the center and Lviv Regional Council deputy, Svyatoslav Sheremeta, the places of eight individual burials on the examined area do not match the location of the tombstones. Such a situation is typical for military burials of the Soviet occupation, the researcher believes.
‘The burials are parallel, not perpendicular to the alley as they were before. This means that Soviet army servicemen were buried here after World War II, and then came the designers who had assignments from the higher leadership of the Soviet Union and the Communist Party to create an ideological site for the propaganda of the Soviet totalitarian regime. No one cared about the fate and memory of the soldier, because it was necessary to show the memorial of the so-called mighty Soviet Union. As of today, we understand that eight people are buried here, with tombstones bearing names. However, establishing who is who will be extremely difficult,’ said Svyatoslav Sheremeta.
The researcher added that experts from the communal enterprise have examined many Soviet military burials. ‘Since 2022, we have conducted many studies of Soviet memorials. And we see that the Soviet Union did not think about the military; it was concerned with ideology and the propaganda of the totalitarian regime. These are the realities of the Soviet commemoration of their heroes. Ultimately, nothing changes, and Russia continues to treat its servicemen and soldiers the same way,’ says Svyatoslav Sheremeta.
Dismantling Work and Future Plans
80% of the most difficult dismantling work has been completed on the site, including the removal of all monuments and tombstones. The fence and entrance group will be dismantled piece by piece. Some elements will become exhibits at the Territory of Terror museum.
‘The most famous burials of this site are the graves of agent Kuznetsov and Putin. We will separately inform the media and the public when we move forward to the exhumation of these graves. These graves require a separate protocol and special attention from law enforcement agencies. Russia has used these graves for provocations more than once. There has been repeated attempts to steal these bodies, attempts to negotiate, offers of various financial rewards, and appeals from the official Russian authorities from one of the so-called local governors. Therefore, these graves receive special attention. We will follow the protocol defined for us by special services,’ reported the executive director of the Lviv City Council, Yevhen Boyko.
Exhumation work will last about 2 months. The remains and tombstones will be transferred to a specially designated area of the Holoski cemetery. Overall, there are over 220 individual burials, 4 mass graves, and probably the graves of NKVD agents Nikolai Kuznetsov and Major Stepan Putin on the Hill.