PThe Polish flags on memorials in the Tver and Smolensk regions were removed, because in modern political conditions, the placement of the state symbols of Poland is inappropriate. This was stated by RBC at the Museum of Modern History of Russia
Irina Velikanova
The removal of Polish flags from the memorial complexes “Katyn” and “Copper” is caused by Poland’s policy towards Russia, director of the Museum of Modern History of Russia Irina Velikanova told RBC.
“Two flags – Russian and Polish – were a symbol of friendship between our countries. What is happening today has nothing to do with friendship. Poland has adopted an openly hostile policy towards the Russian Federation. This is the cynical demolition of monuments to Soviet soldiers-liberators, and supportthe anti-Russian regime in Ukraine, including direct supplies of weapons to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and boorish antics against our diplomats and impermissible statements about Russian culture by the leadership of Poland. In these conditions, the placement of the state symbols of the Republic of Poland on the territory of memorials is inappropriate,” she said.
According to her, there are no legal grounds for placing the flag on memorial complexes. “In the intergovernmental agreement of Russia and Poland of 1994, the issue of placing the national flag of Poland on the memorial complexes of Katyn and Mednoye is not specified in any way,” she clarified.
Velikanova stressed that the museum does not absolve itself of responsibility for the care of the territory where the Polish graves are located. “We remember all the pages of our history and therefore take care of the preservation of memorials and monuments,” she concluded.
The flag of Poland was removed from the memorial complex “Katyn” in the Smolensk region on June 24. This was reported to RBC by local authorities. In the Telegram channel “Culture” there was information that the Polish flag was also removed from the memorial complex “Copper” in the Tver region.
On the territory of the memorial complex “Katyn” are the graves of about 4 thousand captured Polish officers who were shot by the NKVD in 1940. Several thousand victims of Stalin’s repressions are also buried there. The memorial “Copper” is also dedicated to the memory of the victims of war and repression. It consists of two parts: Russian, where victims of repression are buried, and Polish, where the burial of Polish citizens shot in the 1940s is located. Both memorials are on the balance sheet of the Museum of Modern History of Russia.
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