In Głubczyce in Opole, a monument dedicated to Red Army soldiers was smashed by the Hunwabins of late anti-communism. It was erected in 1945 and commemorated 676 soldiers of the Red Army of the 1st Ukrainian Front, who died in fighting for the city of Leobschütz against Nazi Germany.
Not only was the monument liquidated, but it was one more time done in the form of any tacky jarmar play. This show was manufactured by the harmful and costly Institute of National Memory. It was broadcast by television. For me, the most curiosity was erstwhile a Styrofoam comedian and a tv celebrity smashing a pickaxe ritual fragment of the monument. This awakens the worst associations of past and modern times.
In the last year 28 monuments were demolished in Poland, which commemorated russian soldiers. It is hard to realize this dintojra of soldiruchs even if it is to manifest the reluctance of the rulers to the current actions of the Russian Federation. And for 3 fundamental reasons. First of all, the monuments commemorate russian soldiers, not only Russian soldiers – i.e. Ukrainians fighting Germany. Secondly, in the Red Army about 220,000 Poles served in various periods. In 1943, about 25,000 Poles from the Red Army joined the ranks of the 1st Army of the Polish Army. I met, for example, a soldier of Antoni Jodkiewicz's Border defender Corps. He wore alongside Polish awards the Order of the Red Flag or the Patriotic War. Thirdly, it is simply a complete madness to remove monuments, those soldiers who fought the 3rd Reich in the lands recovered and captured for Poland. It's a kind of depolonization.
The problem is not only about monuments commemorating russian soldiers. Monuments dedicated to soldiers of the Polish Army (WP), the interior safety Corps (CWB) and the Civic Militia (MO) have been abolished in fresh years, who fought UPA. I know cases that were demolished with monuments on which the soldiers of the National Army were besides commemorated or the inscription of Monte Cassino was written.
Such actions are crucial and have consequences in global policy. The Polish side must realise this. In any time, what we can foretell with large probability will begin demolition of Polish monuments of Russia. And I hope that this commemorative aviation accident in Smolensk will end. But it could be much worse. This will be very painful for us Poles.
Łukasz Marcin Jastrzębski
