On March 5, Mykola Tochytskyi, the Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine, and Hanna Wróblewska, the Minister of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland, attended commemorative events at the National Historical and Memorial Reserve “Bykivnia Graves” to mark the 85th anniversary of the Soviet regime’s decision to execute Polish officers and prisoners of war captured after the outbreak of World War II.
On March 5, 1940, the Soviet government authorized the execution of Polish military personnel and civilians, a crime that remained concealed until the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The delegations from both countries paid tribute to the victims by laying wreaths at the Central Monument, the Memorial to Polish Burials, and the Brothers’ Grave at the Memorial to the Victims of Political Repressions.
In their speeches, the ministers emphasized the importance of restoring historical truth.
“The cruelty we witness today is a direct consequence of those responsible for these crimes escaping justice. Under the guise of a ‘victorious nation’, the Soviet Union continued to play an active role in international relations until its collapse. Ukraine will never accept the impunity of communism, Nazism, or any other form of totalitarian regime”, said Mykola Tochytskyi, the Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine.
The Minister reminded the attendees that Ukrainian law has condemned the communist totalitarian regime for implementing a policy of state terror. The shared goal of both countries today is to restore historical justice and prevent the rise of future totalitarian regimes.
Hanna Wróblewska, the Minister of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland, recalled the scale of the atrocity committed on March 5, 1940, when the Politburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks), under Stalin’s orders, decided to execute Polish prisoners of war held in the camps of Kozelsk, Starobilsk, and Ostashkov, as well as Polish prisoners held by the NKVD in pre-war eastern territories of the Republic of Poland. This decision led to the Katyn massacre, which began in April of the same year. She emphasized that Poland has a duty not only to preserve the memory of its fallen heroes and victims but also to care for their graves as symbols of history and national identity.
“Today, as a brutal war rages just beyond our eastern border, we are witnessing history repeat itself. Innocent people are dying defending their homeland from the aggressor. This serves as a warning to the world – a reminder that freedom is never granted once and for all. May our presence here be both a tribute to the fallen and a testament that the memory of this crime will never be erased. Remembering the past is not only an homage to those who have passed but also a warning for future generations”, said Hanna Wróblewska.
An ecumenical prayer was held in remembrance of the departed souls.
The National Historical and Memorial Reserve “Bykivnia Graves” is one of the largest burial sites for victims of political repression in Ukraine.
As part of the Polish delegation’s visit, the Ministers of Culture from Ukraine and Poland also laid wreaths at the Wall of Remembrance for the Fallen for Ukraine in Mykhailivska Square, Kyiv.
Photo: Ukrinform
