The Institute of National Remembrance strongly condemns the outrageous act of devastation committed by the authorities of the Russian Federation at the Polish War Cemetery in Mednoye. On the orders of the Prosecutor's Office of the Tver Region, the bas-reliefs depicting the Order of Virtuti Militari and the Cross of the September Campaign of 1939 were removed. This is not only an act of vandalism sanctioned by the Russian authorities, but also a brutal attack on the memory of the Polish victims of the Katyn Massacre.

Mednoye is the resting place of 6,300 officers of the State Police and other services of the Second Polish Republic, murdered by the NKVD in the spring of 1940 on the basis of the decision of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of the Soviet Union of 5 March 1940. These Polish citizens were considered by Stalin and Beria to be deadly enemies of the Soviet Union – people who should be annihilated. This unprecedented act of vandalism, which is the destruction of elements of the Polish cemetery, is a direct attack on the memory of Polish heroes faithful to the state oath. It is also a symbolic continuation of the violence used by the Soviet apparatus of terror.

Once again, the Russian Federation is attempting to erase the memory of Polish citizens, victims of the Katyn Massacre, buried by Soviet Russia in unmarked death pits. For decades, the Russians attributed this crime to the Germans and falsified history as part of planned disinformation. Today, they are continuing these actions by depriving those who lost their lives of the commemoration they deserve as citizens of a free and sovereign Poland.

The Institute of National Remembrance, which has been documenting and researching the Katyn Massacre for years, disseminating knowledge about it and ensuring international recognition of historical truth, cannot remain indifferent to such an act of aggression.

At the same time, the IPN firmly opposes attempts to instrumentally use our institution in current political disputes, which is reflected in recent statements by representatives of the highest state authorities of the Republic of Poland.

The Institute of National Remembrance is ready to fully cooperate with the relevant Polish state authorities, the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in order to prevent similar acts in the future and to repair the damage that has occurred.

The memory of the victims of the Katyn Massacre requires solemn, responsible and community-based action, not ad hoc accusations that blur the responsibility of state institutions, which can be exploited by hostile, Russian propaganda.

We expect the Polish state to take immediate steps based on Polish law and international agreements. We expect actions that will lead to a full explanation of the situation and for the damage that has been done to be repaired. The memory of our heroes and their dignified commemoration ought to be placed above particularist interests, party calculations and ongoing political struggles.

If we do not jointly demand respect for the murdered Poles, we will fail as their compatriots – as the heirs of their service and the hardships from which independent Poland grew.