Statement by the Institute of National Remembrance regarding the plans of the Smolensk Oblast authorities to devastate the cemetery of the victims of the Katyn Massacre
According to reports from the Russian INTERFAX news agency, the Smolensk Oblast Duma plans to remove architectural elements depicting Polish military decorations from the cemetery of NKVD victims in Katyn, similar to what was done in Mednoye a few weeks ago. The Institute of National Remembrance strongly protests against these plans. Any country wishing to call itself civilized ought to treat burial sites as sacred and inviolable.
In the opinion of the Smolensk Prosecutor's Office, on whose opinion the local Duma based its resolution, the Polish symbols violate regulations concerning cultural heritage sites and commemorations of the Soviet nation's victory in the Great Patriotic War. These symbols include the Virtuti Militari, which marked Poland’s victory over the Russians in 1792, and the September Campaign Cross, a reminder of the German-Soviet aggression of 1939, the first stage of World War II.
According to Russian historiography, World War II broke out in June 1941, when Nazi Germany attacked Soviet Russia. This narrative, however, fails to withstand confrontation with historical facts. The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, concluded in August 1939 by the two totalitarian regimes, supplemented by a secret protocol dividing spheres of influence in Europe, became the direct cause of the outbreak of World War II, while its implementation was the first stage of the conflict.
Under the terms of the said pact, Germany and Soviet Russia jointly attacked Poland in September 1939, partitioning it and establishing a common border, then seizing further countries and territories. Before Germany turned against its Soviet ally, it attacked Norway, Denmark, Western Europe, and Greece. Before Stalinist Russia was forced to defend itself against the Third Reich, it seized the Baltic States, Finland, Bessarabia, and Northern Bukovina.
The aforementioned INTERFAX news release also errs on several other points. The deputy chairman of the Smolensk Duma is accusing the Polish authorities of "mass destruction of graves and monuments of Soviet liberating soldiers," which is false both in contemporary and historical terms. Poland not only does not destroy, but rather restores, the graves of Soviet soldiers who died on its territory, though these soldiers cannot be called liberators.
The quoted Duma representative is likely referring to the Institute of National Remembrance's decommunization campaign, which has resulted in the removal of forty-two Soviet propaganda objects from public space in recent years. We cannot accept that symbols and commemorations of Soviet regime should continue to exist on Polish territory, twice during World War II finding itself under the control of a regime that enslaved its citizens.
In 1939, Soviet Russia attacked Poland militarily in concert with the Third Reich. In 1944-1945, at the cost of hundreds of thousands of its soldiers, it seized Polish territories from Germany, then, against the will of the Polish nation, forcibly installed a puppet government and introduced a communist system. Repression by the Red Army, the NKVD, and security services controlled by Polish communists affected hundreds of thousands of Polish citizens.
Pursuant to Article 5a, Section 1 of the Act of 1 April 2016 on the Prohibition of Propagating Communism or Other Totalitarian System through the Names of Organizational Units, Municipal Auxiliary Units, Buildings, Public Utility Facilities, and Monuments, monuments may not commemorate persons, organizations, events, or dates symbolizing communism or another totalitarian system, or otherwise promote such a system. The legislator also deemed monuments propagating persons, organizations, events, or dates symbolizing the repressive, authoritarian, and non-sovereign system of government in Poland between 1944 and 1989 to be subject to removal.
All war cemeteries where Red Army soldiers are buried are subject to protection by the Republic of Poland. In doing so, Poland applies not only the principles of international agreements but also the provisions of the Act of 28 March 1933 on Military Graves and Cemeteries, which are in force in Poland. These provisions explicitly state that military graves and cemeteries, regardless of the nationality and religion of the individuals buried there, and regardless of the formation to which they belonged, are to be cared for and accorded due respect.
The INTERFAX news agency report is factually incorrect on another crucial point, namely, attributing responsibility for the Katyn Massacre to Nazi Germany. In fact, Soviet Russia's guilt was established beyond any doubt by international experts, and furthermore, admitted in 1992 by President Yeltsin, who apologized to the Polish nation, and further reaffirmed in a resolution adopted by the Russian State Duma in 2010.
In light of the above, the Institute of National Remembrance calls on the authorities of the Smolensk Oblast to respect the burial sites of Polish citizens, victims of the Katyn Massacre, and to refrain from actions unbecoming of civilized nations.
The Institute of National Remembrance also appeals to the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage to take appropriate action in response to the Smolensk Oblast authorities' plans to vandalize the cemetery of the victims of the Katyn Massacre.