Russian prosecutors, citing alleged provocation, directed the removal of Polish military insignia bas‑reliefs from the Katyn war cemetery in May 2025.
Prosecutors Order Removal
The Smolensk prosecutor’s office declared that Polish orders at Katyn breached national heritage laws and the commemoration of the Soviet victory in the Great Patriotic War. Prosecutors argued the bas‑reliefs were Western propaganda that carried “Russia‑phobic symbolism.” Vice‑chairman Walerij Kuzniecow demanded “historical justice” and praised the decision, citing Poland’s mass demolitions of Russian war graves as justification.
Hostile Actions by Russia
After Russia’s assault on Ukraine, the Polish flag was displayed at the Katyn Museum, and in various Russian regions monuments honoring Polish victims of Stalinism were removed. In May 2025 the bas‑reliefs of Polish state orders were taken from the Polish Military Cemetery in Miednoje; the same action was now applied to Katyn, where 4,421 Polish officers murdered by the NKVD in 1940 are buried. Polish authorities and families have long been denied access to these burial sites in Russia.
Reactions to Russia’s Decision
Polish Ambassador to Russia Krzysztof Krajewski said he was speechless and confirmed the Katyn Museum complied with the prosecutor’s order, taking down the Virtuti Militari Order bas‑relief and the commemorative medal of the 1939 September Campaign. He called the prosecutor’s decision “completely unreasonable and perhaps unindependent.” The Institute of National Remembrance condemned the desecration, stating that “vandalizing memory sites is an act unworthy of civilized nations.”
Russian Consulate Closed in Poland
Following the prosecutor’s decision, Polish Foreign Affairs Minister Maciej Wewiór announced the revocation of licensing for the Russian consulate in Gdańsk, the last Russian consular post in Poland. He also noted that Poland protested the removal of the bas‑reliefs at Katyn. Closure of the consulate means all its staff must leave Poland.
