The Union of Poles in Belarus reported in the media that in Mikuliszki, in the Grodno region of Belarus, “the authorities, with the use of heavy-duty vehicles, razed to the ground the quarters of the soldiers of the 3rd and 6th Brigades of the Home Army who died in 1944”. “Another act of state barbarism,” it was commented.
“Another act of state barbarism! In Mikuliszki in the Oshmyany region in the north-east of the Grodno region, the authorities using heavy-duty vehicles have razed to the ground the burial quarters of the soldiers of the 3rd and 6th Brigades of the Home Army who died in 1944,” we read on the glosznadniemna.pl.
As indicated, the AK soldiers’ quarters were located on the outskirts of Mikuliszki, on a hill. Twenty-two crosses were erected there, bearing the names of the fallen and murdered AK soldiers. The quarters were opened in 1992 and were looked after by activists of the Union of Poles in Belarus.
“The AK soldiers’ quarters, which had been demolished in a barbaric manner, were built thanks to the efforts of the circles of former AK soldiers of the 3rd and 6th Home Army Brigades. The cost of construction was subsidised by the Council for the Protection of Remembrance of Struggle and Martyrdom,” it was reported.
In an interview with the portal niezalezna.pl, Marek Zaniewski, vice-president of the Union of Poles in Belarus, said that Polish diplomatic services had already been informed of the incident.
“The destruction of the military quarters [in Mikuliszki] is the first incident of this kind on such a scale. There have already been incidents of various kinds, and there has always been a precarious situation concerning Polish memorials, there has always been something going on, but this is the first time it has happened on such a scale. There is concern that this trend may continue, and this is only the beginning,” said Marek Zaniewski.
The Polish Foreign Ministry told the portal niezalezna.pl that it has information about this “terrible event” and is waiting for verification from Polish diplomatic and consular services in Belarus.
“All appropriate reactions will be considered,” the Foreign Ministry indicated.
The act of barbarism was addressed on Twitter by, among others, the independent Belarusian journalist Hanna Liubakova.
“This is barbaric and unacceptable. The Lukashenko regime seeks to offend its neighbours in every way. As long as he is in power, there will be provocations on his part. I am ashamed, Poland, that this is happening,” she stressed.
Jest to barbarzyństwo i nie do zaakceptowania. Reżim Łukaszenki stara się w każdy sposób obrazić sąsiadów. Jak długo jest u władzy, tak długo będą z jego strony prowokacje. Jest mi wstyd, Polsko, że to się dzieje. https://t.co/RUk4T2j6Cj
— Hanna Liubakova (@HannaLiubakova) July 4, 2022