FT: Poland set to file lawsuit against Russia over Soviet-era atrocities

Poland is set to file a reparations claim against Russia for atrocities committed during the country's Soviet era, when Warsaw was allied with the Soviet Union, echoing its previous demand for €1.3 trillion from Germany over World War II crimes, Financial Times (FT) reports.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has ordered the formation of a team of historians to assess events of World War II and subsequent decades of the Cold War, and to analyse the negative consequences Poland attributes to Soviet influence. 

According to Bartosz Gondek, director of an institute tasked by Prime Minister Donald Tusk with investigating historic Russian crimes, the probe would be far more extensive than its work on Nazi brutality, given Poland spent more than four additional decades under Soviet influence.

Warsaw stresses the project is long‑term, and that limited access to archival materials could complicate the process. According to the outlet, it is too early to estimate potential financial demands against Russia. 

Pursuing a claim against Russia risks escalating tensions with Moscow at a time when Warsaw has accused Vladimir Putin’s government of intensifying hybrid warfare, including drone incursions and cyberattacks.

FT also recalled that Poland previously sought compensation from Germany for wartime damage. In December 2025, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that from Germany’s perspective, the issue of reparations has been legally and politically closed for many years.

By Jeyhun Aghazada