Poland outraged by desecration of Home Army soldiers' memorials in Russia – photos

The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs is preparing a note of protest to Russia over the destruction of memorials dedicated to the soldiers of the Home Army in the village of Borovichi-Yogla in Russia’s Novgorod Oblast.

Source: European Pravda, citing Onet, a Polish media outlet 

Details: The Polish Consulate General in Saint Petersburg recently reported the desecration of a memorial complex dedicated to the memory of Home Army soldiers who died in Soviet labour camps.

Photographs shared by the consulate show vandalism at three memorials located several kilometers apart from each other. 

Pawel Wronski, spokesperson for the Polish Foreign Ministry, called the incident "an outrageous act", noting that these are "places where victims rest, a vast cemetery".

Wronski reported that local residents informed Polish diplomats that the memorials were destroyed by a group of people using heavy equipment. Crosses and parts of the monuments were demolished, and there were attempts to erase inscriptions written in the Latin alphabet.

Quote: "We will demand that the Russian side investigate the situation, identify and punish those responsible. This is an outrageous act, as it is an attack on human memory." 

Wronski  also noted that nearby German and Hungarian memorials were not damaged.

The Borovichi camp complex in Novgorod Oblast was one of the primary locations for the deportation of Home Army soldiers and members of peasant battalions between 1944 and 1946. Over 6,000 Poles deported by the NKVD, a Soviet secret police agency, passed through these camps.

Background: The Polish Consulate General in Saint Petersburg, which reported the incident, was previously closed by Russia in response to the closure of its consulate in Poznan by Polish authorities.

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