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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

Poland has for the first time used DNA testing to identify the remains of Poles massacred by Ukrainian nationalists during World War Two.

The process has allowed eight individuals whose remains were exhumed in Ukraine last year to be named. Their families were presented with identification certificates by the Polish culture ministry on Monday.

“After more than 80 years, families are receiving the answer they have awaited for generations,” said culture minister Marta Cienkowska. “This is a victory of truth over anonymity and of dignity over oblivion.”

Dwa dni temu wspominaliśmy dziesiątki tysięcy ofiar zbrodni wołyńskiej dokonanej przez ukraińskich nacjonalistów.

Dziś osiem z nich odzyskuje imiona i nazwiska.

śp. Bronisława Karpińska,

śp. Maria Karpińska,

śp. Maria Szafrańska,

śp. Władysława Szafrańska,

śp. Mikołaj… pic.twitter.com/olpEhj7dYo

— Marta Cienkowska (@MartaCienkowska) July 13, 2026

Bronisława and Maria Karpińska, Maria and Władysława Szafrańska, Mikołaj Szafrański, Adolf and Bronisław Dancewicz, and Henryk Fedorowicz are the eight individuals who have been identified as victims of a massacre in the village of Puźniki (Puzhnyky in Ukrainian) in 1945.

Their remains were among those of at least 43 people that were located and exhumed in the now-depopulated village last year. That moment in itself represented a breakthrough: it was the first exhumation Ukraine permitted to take place after a previous eight-year moratorium.

Cienkowska and her Ukrainian counterpart, Tetyana Berezhna, last September attended a ceremony to rebury the remains . Since then, researchers at the Pomeranian Medical University have been carrying out genetic studies of material from the victims in an effort to identify them.

Thanks to their work, “a name can finally be engraved on a grave, and this person will no longer be an anonymous victim of history”, said Cienkowski. However, she noted that “we still have much work ahead of us, more names are waiting to be found, and more families are waiting for answers”.

Polish victims of massacres committed by Ukrainian nationalists in WWII have been reburied in Ukraine at a ceremony attended by officials from both countries.

Their remains were exhumed this year following a diplomatic breakthrough between Kyiv and Warsaw https://t.co/FQwhjXOZDb

— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) September 6, 2025

During the Volhynia massacres, around 100,000 Polish civilians, mostly women and children, were killed. Often, whole villages were wiped out in the attacks. Poland’s Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) believes that most of the victims remain buried in unmarked mass graves in Ukraine.

The issue has long been a point of tension between Poland, which recognises the massacres as a genocide, and Ukraine, which rejects that label . The decision by Kyiv to allow exhumations to resume last year was regarded as a major step towards reconciliation.

However, that process was undermined in May, when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky decided to name a military unit after the “heroes of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA)”, the group responsible for leading the Volhynia massacres.

That in turn prompted an angry response from Warsaw, where President Karol Nawrocki stripped Zelensky of Poland’s highest honour . Efforts to reach a solution to the crisis have so far not yielded fruit.

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However, despite those difficulties, exhumations are continuing. Last week, Ukraine’s Institute of National Remembrance (UINP) announced that work would begin yesterday in the former Polish villages of Ostrówki and Wola Ostrowiecka (Ostrivky and Volya Ostrovetska in Ukrainian).

Late last year, Ukraine authorised searches there for remains and, in April this year, mass graves were discovered . Poland’s IPN then requested permission for exhumation, which has now been granted by the Ukrainian side.

In a statement last Saturday, when Poland was marking its day of commemoration for victims of the massacres, Zelensky pointed to the exhumation work in Ostrówki and Wola Ostrowiecka as evidence that “Ukraine is doing its part to fairly establish the facts about those who were killed in those years”.

“What we need is the full truth and a Christian commemoration of the victims,” he added. “But we must also remember that today, in our own time, Ukraine and Poland face one common threat…[and] that is Russia.”

Every year on this day, Poland and Ukraine honor the memory of people – civilians – who were killed in Volyn during the Second World War. Today, representatives of the Ukrainian state took part in joint prayer services alongside representatives of the Polish state – both here in…

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 11, 2026

However, Zelensky’s statement did not include any information on who the victims or the perpetrators of the massacres were.

Poland is demanding that Ukraine do more to acknowledge the murderous actions of the UPA, which is still revered in Ukraine for its role in fighting for independence from Moscow-backed Soviet rule.

During Saturday’s commemorations of the massacres in Poland, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that a new “Wall of Remembrance” would be established in Warsaw to which the names of victims of the massacres would be added as they are identified.

Poland has held its annual commemoration of the massacre of Poles by Ukrainian nationalists in WW2

This year's event took on particular significance amid a dispute with Ukraine over its decision to name a military unit after a group that led the massacres https://t.co/lrEDF3qZqS

— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) July 11, 2026

Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

Main image credit: MKiDN (under CC BY-SA 4.0 )

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Despite all the high-flying action roles, intricate stunt work, and engaging characters Tom Cruise has tackled in his decades-long career, the actor says that his upcoming role in Digger could be his biggest challenge to date.

The satirical comedy, directed by acclaimed Mexican filmmaker Alejandro G. Iñárritu, sees Cruise play an eccentric and elderly oil tycoon called Digger Rockwell in a disaster movie of epic proportions. With heavy prosthetics and a delicate paunch, it's a transformative role for the Mission: Impossible star.

“There's nothing better than to physically and metaphorically stand on the edge of a cliff and go, ‘Let's do this,’” says Cruise, chatting to a group of international journalists – including GamesRadar+ – about working with Iñárritu. "I trust you, and whatever we're going to do, I know this is going to be a hell of an experience. Let's come together and let's do it. Let's all do it."

The Top Gun actor is thoughtful, excited and contemplative as he talks at a trailer launch event on the Warner Bros. Studios lot in Burbank, California. "I have never had something that could challenge me in this way," he explains. "And neither has Alejandro when we went in – ever. When you see this film, it's totally original."

If you've seen the Digger trailer , you'll know the story is about an environmental emergency that could lead to catastrophic destruction on a global scale – and the colorful vocabulary of the lead character seems to be rubbing off on Cruise.

"The director sets the frame and the lenses and the lighting," he says. "It's really my favorite thing. Alejandro, he shows me… He's like, 'I want you to look like this.' I'm thinking, 'This guy's got f*cking balls.' And I'm like, ‘I can't wait. Let's go.'"

(Image credit: Warner Bros) In tackling the titular role in Digger, Cruise considered his past projects in depth: "When we're looking for characters, we're looking for humor, drama, certain constructs… How do we communicate this? Whether it's Les Grossman [in Tropic Thunder] or Interview With The Vampire, Collateral or Risky Business, I'm always asking, 'How do I communicate this?' The physicality, the makeup… That is stuff that you find as you are learning how to communicate."

The actor's enthusiasm steps up a beat as he continues to explain the development of the character of Digger Rockwell: "You really have to understand the tools. It's not one size fits all. You have to find the communication, the lenses, the color of the makeup. The level of detail of making a film like this is... [What is the] color of the cowboy boots? What are my shorts like? The sets, the color of the sets? They're beautiful on every single level, and it's all very... You look at the taste of this man. It's very special."

During the event, which was held inside the plush Steven J. Ross Theater, Cruise went on to talk about his commitment to cinema and his love of watching movies amongst film fans. "First of all, I am the audience," he tells us. "I love movies. I love all kinds of movies. I love going to opening weekend. I like being there with an audience."

With a broad smile beaming across his face, he continues: "I want people to be immersed in the movie, so whatever it takes to tell that story. And it takes all of us. Making movies is a beautiful thing because it's all of us together. Really, it is very special."

Alongside Cruise, the cast of Digger includes Riz Ahmed, Sandra Hüller, Jesse Plemons, John Goodman, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Emma D’Arcy.

Digger releases in theaters on October 2. For now, check out our guide to all the other most exciting upcoming movies .

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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

Poland has begun construction of a 10 billion zloty (€2.3 billion) deepwater port and container terminal in the city of Świnoujście, near the German border.

Named Cape Pomerania, the project is intended to strengthen Poland’s role in European maritime trade and create a major container hub for Central and Eastern Europe. The facility will also be designed for both civilian and defence use.

⚓ Startujemy z największą portową inwestycją w Polsce.

🚢Rozpoczyna się realizacja Projektu Przylądek Pomerania – największej inwestycji w ponad 75-letniej historii Zarządu Morskich Portów Szczecin i Świnoujście oraz jednej z największych inwestycji portowych realizowanych… pic.twitter.com/r2gJ9DjAb5

— Ministerstwo Infrastruktury (@MI_GOV_PL) July 13, 2026

Speaking at the launch of construction on Monday, infrastructure minister Dariusz Klimczak hailed Cape Pomerania as “the largest port investment in Poland’s recent history”, saying that it would help the country “compete with Europe’s leading ports”

Deputy infrastructure minister Arkadiusz Marchewka said the terminal would serve not only Poland but also markets including eastern Germany, and the landlocked Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria and Hungary, reports Business Insider Polska.

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The port, which was first planned under the former Law and Justice (PiS) government, will include a 17-metre-deep basin and a 1.3-km-long main quay capable of handling up to three ocean-going container ships at the same time, including two vessels measuring up to 400 metres in length.

It is expected to have an annual handling capacity of 2 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU), the standard measure of container capacity. For comparison, all current Polish ports handled a combined 3.9 million TEU in 2025 , which was a record level.

In December last year, Poland’s largest port , in the city of Gdańsk, completed an expansion of its own, increasing its annual capacity by almost 1.5 million TEUs to reach 4.5 million TEUs.

Poland's ports handled a record amount of cargo in 2025, driven by strong growth in container traffic (which was up 18%) and imports of liquefied natural gas (up 32%) https://t.co/nOFmqaB0Wj

— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) January 28, 2026

The planned port in Świnojście will use zero-emission cargo-handling technologies and shore power systems to reduce emissions and noise. It will also be built to support both civilian and military operations, reports the Polish Press Agency (PAP).

Construction has begun with the building of a technical access road and supporting infrastructure. The work, which will provide access for heavy equipment and construction crews to the offshore site, are expected to take 10 months. Construction of the terminal is then scheduled to be completed in 2030.

Associated infrastructure work includes deepening the 70-km approach channel, building more than 3 km of new railway infrastructure and creating 186 hectares of reclaimed land in the Bay of Pomerania.

Gdańsk in Poland has become the EU’s fifth-busiest port, overtaking Algeciras in Spain and HAROPA in France, the latest @EU_Eurostat data show.

Meanwhile, national data show that Poland’s ports reported record financial and operational results in 2024 https://t.co/q4QFf8df2G

— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) January 15, 2025

However, the project, which is located within a protected natural area, has also faced some opposition from environmental groups and local residents in both Poland and on the German side of the border.

Last year, a Warsaw court rejected a legal challenge from German and Polish green groups, which had argued that the port could cause significant environmental damage.

Monday’s inauguration of construction work was met with a small protest from Świnoujście residents, who said the port could threaten tourist attractions in the coastal city.

Demonstrators carried banners calling for an end to the “concreting of the Baltic Sea”, while one of them told local broadcaster Radio Szczecin that the project would “barbarically destroy the most valuable areas on the right bank of Świnoujście”.

A German group, Lebensraum Vorpommern, has filed a further legal challenge against Poland's plans to construct a deepwater shipping terminal near the border with Germany.

It claims the project "will lead to an environmental catastrophe"

https://t.co/vIg1qjt1Jq

— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) March 28, 2025

Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

Main image credit: Przylądek Pomerania materials