On the question of the excavation of victims of communist terror of the period 1939-1941 in the village of Posich, Ivano-Frankivsk region

Abstract

This article presents an in-depth investigation into the mass burial site of victims of Soviet terror from 1939 to 1941, located in the village of Posich, currently part of the Lysets Territorial Community in Ivano-Frankivsk Raion, Ukraine. The study thoroughly analyzes the discovery, exhumation, and partial identification of victims found in four separate graves situated in the forested areas known as “Rostoky” and “Kniaziv Laz.” Drawing on archival documents, forensic reports, crime scene protocols, and testimonies from local witnesses and participants in the 1990–1991 excavation efforts, the article reveals the remains of at least 31 individuals, including men and women aged 20 to 60. Among them were clergy, railway workers, peasants, and members of the intelligentsia. The remains showed clear signs of violent death, including gunshot wounds to the back of the head, skull damage, and decapitations without injury to the cervical vertebrae—indicating extremely brutal execution methods. The graves yielded numerous personal artifacts with identifying characteristics: clothing, hats, shoes, combs, wallets, toothbrushes, glasses, dental prosthetics, pocket watches, and objects inscribed with names, addresses, and dates. Of particular note were items associated with clerical robes, suggesting the targeted execution of religious figures during the suppression of church structures. Witnesses reported the existence of at least five additional, yet unexcavated, burial sites in the surrounding forest. The article emphasizes the importance of recognizing Posich as a site of national remembrance and calls for further archaeological, historical, and memorial initiatives. The documented evidence constitutes a significant contribution to the process of historical justice and the preservation of Ukrainian collective memory regarding the crimes of the Soviet totalitarian regime.