FM: Poland sends diplomatic protest note to Russia over war memorial crosses

Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski has said that the ministry lodged an official diplomatic protest with Russia because commemorative crosses were removed from a Polish military cemetery located at the Mednoye memorial complex in Russia’s Tver region.

He noted that the Virtuti Militari cross—the highest Polish military decoration for valor—and the Cross of Valor from the 1939 campaign were allegedly taken down from a monument within the site, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

Sikorski said that the removal of the symbols was unacceptable and constituted grounds for a formal diplomatic protest. He stated that the crosses were an inseparable part of the cemetery’s historical and commemorative function and emphasised that they must remain in place.

In response, Spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova rejected the accusation, describing Poland’s statement as an inappropriate attempt to give a lesson in correct history.

The Mednoye memorial complex is a branch of the State Central Museum of Contemporary History of Russia. It serves as a burial site for thousands of Polish prisoners of war who were captured or arrested following the Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939. Tensions over historical memory and memorial sites have intensified in recent years. 

Earlier, Russian authorities criticised the display of Polish national flags at memorials on Russian soil. The administration of the Katyn Memorial Complex subsequently removed the Polish flag, citing what it called hostile actions by Warsaw.

By Naila Huseynova