Poland demands action over desecration of Home Army soldiers memorials in Russia

The Polish Consulate General in St. Petersburg reported on social media that memorial sites commemorating Polish AK soldiers who perished in Soviet labor camps had been vandalized in Borovichi-Yogla, located in Russia’s Novgorod Oblast.

Three memorial sites, situated several kilometers apart, were desecrated.

Wroński stated: "This is an outrageous case. It is not just a monument but a place where victims lie - a vast cemetery." "We will demand that the Russian side clarify the situation, conduct an investigation, identify the perpetrators, and hold them accountable. This is an act against human memory," he added.

Asked if Poland plans to summon the Russian ambassador to the MFA, Wroński responded that for now, Poland is focusing on seeking clarification and preparing a diplomatic note.

The MFA spokesperson detailed that the vandalism was deliberate, involving the destruction of a cross, parts of the monuments, and attempts to erase inscriptions written in the Latin alphabet.

He also noted that eyewitness accounts indicated that "a group of individuals with heavy equipment arrived to destroy elements of the memorials."

Wroński highlighted that the incident followed Russia’s announcement of its intention to close the Polish Consulate in St. Petersburg as retaliation for the earlier closure of Russia’s consulate in Poznań. He also pointed out that nearby German and Hungarian memorials remained untouched.

The Borovichi camp complex, centered in the Novgorod Oblast, was a significant site for the deportation of AK and Peasant Battalions (Bataliony Chłopskie) soldiers between 1944 and 1946. Over 6,000 Poles, deported by the NKVD, passed through the camps.

On December 5, the Russian MFA announced the closure of the Polish Consulate General in St. Petersburg in response to the earlier closure of the Russian Consulate in Poznań.