Remember the Katyn Crime Victims

April 13 is the day we remember about 22,000 officers, officials, doctors and teachers who were absolutely murdered by the Soviets. Their only “guilty” was Poland's fidelity, which was highlighted by president Andrzej Duda in his entry on X, on the occasion of the 85th anniversary of the Katyń Crime.

Katyń Crime is 1 of the most tragic episodes in Polish history. In 1940, the russian Political Office of KC WKP(b) decided to shoot Polish prisoners in camps in Kozielsk, Starobielsk and Ostashkov, as well as Polish prisoners held by the NKVD in the area of pre-war east provinces of the Republic. The consequence of this decision was the execution of about 22 1000 Polish citizens, including almost 15 1000 officers of the Polish Army and the State Police.

For decades, communists systematically fought the fact about Katyn, and the perpetrators of this crime were never punished. That is why it is so crucial to remember the victims of Katyń Crime and to commemorate their memory. president Andrzej Duda stressed that “May the Day of Memory of the Victims of Katyń Crime unite us – Poles – in awe of the price of freedom”.

This year, the Year of Polish Heroes from Katyń, Mednoje, Kharkiv and Bykownia was announced by the Sejm. It's an expression of respect and memory for those who gave their lives for their homeland. On Sunday, the central celebrations commemorating the 85th anniversary of the Katyn Crime, organized by the Office for Combatants and Represented Persons, the Federation of Katyn Families and the Museum of the Polish Army together with the Katyn Museum, are held in Warsaw.

The event will be attended by Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Marshal of the legislature of Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska. president Andrzej Duda will commemorate the anniversary in Krakow, where he will lay a wreath before the Katyń Cross in Father Adam Studziński Square.

The memory of the victims of Katyń Crime is very crucial due to the fact that it reminds us of the price of freedom and values that are the foundation of our national identity. As president Andrzej Duda said, “This 'arm of shadows' is inactive standing alongside the soldiers of the Republic. Hello and glory to the Heroes!’