Poland Condemns Removal of Military Symbols from War Cemetery in Russia as Election Interference

On Wednesday, Poland expressed its discontent regarding the removal of military symbols from a Polish cemetery situated in Russia, a decision that Warsaw denounced as a «provocation» and an attempt to meddle in its upcoming presidential election.

During World War II, the NKVD, the Soviet secret police, executed approximately 22,000 Polish officers in locations such as the Katyn forest in western Russia, as well as in Kharkiv, which is now part of modern-day Ukraine, and Mednoye in Russia.

The Polish Foreign Ministry reported on Wednesday that the Polish embassy had sent information about the desecration of a Polish monument at the War Cemetery in Mednoye.

In a statement, the ministry declared that Polish military crosses «have been cut off from a cemetery monument.»

«The Polish government views this shocking provocation not only as an attempt to interfere with Poland’s presidential election, but also as a typical Russian strategy to distort historical facts,» the ministry continued.

The second round of Poland’s presidential election will see pro-European candidate Rafał Trzaskowski face off against nationalist Karol Nawrocki on June 1.

The Polish officers whose remains were discovered at Mednoye had been taken captive by the Soviet forces following their invasion of Poland on September 17, 1939.

For many years, the Soviet Union attributed this atrocity to Nazi Germany.

«We demand that the Russians promptly restore the cemetery to its original state,» stated the Polish Foreign Ministry.

The administration of the cemetery confirmed on its website that it had removed the military symbols due to «violations of federal law.»

Since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Poland, a strong supporter of Kyiv, has accused Russia of carrying out hybrid attacks and orchestrating sabotage missions within its borders.

In May, Poland announced that it had ordered the closure of the Russian consulate in Krakow, claiming that Russia was responsible for an arson attack on a major shopping center in Warsaw the previous year.

Previously, Warsaw had ordered the shutdown of the Russian consulate in Poznan due to alleged «sabotage» activities purportedly conducted by Moscow in Poland and neighboring allied nations.