Recent events involving the defacement of memorial sites in Poland have sparked diplomatic tensions, with the Ukrainian Embassy in Poland pointing fingers at Russian secret services for orchestrating the provocations.
According to a statement released by the embassy on Thursday, August 14, as reported by European Pravda, the Ukrainian diplomatic institution reacted to reports of a 17-year-old Ukrainian citizen being apprehended in Poland on suspicion of vandalism.
In response, the embassy urged Polish authorities to conduct a thorough investigation while ensuring the rights of the detained Ukrainian individual are respected.
“The embassy unequivocally condemns any actions that defile memorial sites. We view this as a deliberate ploy by Russian secret services to sow discord between our nations. Ukraine consistently upholds the importance of honoring historical memory – be it its own or that of its neighbors. Any acts of vandalism or animosity are strongly denounced,” the embassy emphasized.
The embassy stressed the necessity for individuals who breach the laws of the host country to be held accountable within the framework of the respective legal system.
Furthermore, the embassy awaits a response from Polish law enforcement regarding prior instances of vandalism targeting Ukrainian memorial sites on Polish soil, the diplomatic mission disclosed.
Background of the Situation:
- On August 13, the Polish police disclosed the arrest of two 17-year-old Ukrainians allegedly responsible for painting red and black flags and leaving “Bandera slogans” on buildings and memorial sites commemorating the victims of the Volyn tragedy. The Volyn (Volhynia) tragedy, occurring in 1943 during World War II, marked a grim chapter of ethnic cleansing involving Polish and Ukrainian populations. Poland views the Volyn tragedy as a genocide against Poles.
- One of the arrested individuals defaced a monument dedicated to the Volyn tragedy victims in the village of Domostawa.
- Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk reported that on August 13, officers from the Internal Security Agency apprehended a young Ukrainian national suspected of being influenced by Russian secret services to carry out sabotage activities.
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