Unidentified individuals committed act of vandalism at memorial site honouring fallen Ukrainian soldiers in the Białystok area of Poland, - embassy. PHOTOS
The Ukrainian Embassy in Poland has expressed its deep outrage at yet another act of vandalism targeting a Ukrainian memorial site in the Białystok area, near the village of Liski in the Lublin Voivodeship.
This was reported on the embassy’s Facebook page, according to Censor.NET.
What is known
According to the information received, unknown individuals have once again desecrated the memorial site, damaging it and disrupting the proper condition of the site, which serves as a place to honour fallen Ukrainian soldiers.
The embassy emphasises that any acts of destruction, desecration or deliberate damage to memorial sites are unacceptable. Regardless of the complex and tragic chapters in our shared history, burial sites and memorials must remain outside political disputes and be treated with respect in accordance with generally accepted European standards and Christian values.
It is noted that of particular concern is the fact that this incident is taking place against a backdrop of a rise in hostility towards Ukrainians in Poland, in particular reports of acts of aggression and attacks on Ukrainian citizens. Any attempts to translate historical disputes into acts of vandalism, intimidation or hostility towards modern-day Ukraine and Ukrainians are dangerous and must be subject to appropriate legal assessment.
The Embassy demands a response from Poland
The Ukrainian Embassy has also called on the competent Polish authorities to take the necessary procedural steps without delay, to establish all the circumstances of the incident, to bring those responsible to justice, and to ensure the restoration of the damaged memorial site.
"Ukraine consistently advocates preserving the memory of the tragic chapters of the past on the basis of dialogue, mutual respect and the principle of preventing the use of history as a tool of hostility between nations," the statement emphasises.
Furthermore, the Ukrainian Embassy in Poland has officially raised this matter with the Polish authorities.
What led up to this?
It should be recalled that on the night of 5 July, at the Rakowicki Cemetery in Kraków, unknown individuals vandalised the grave of the eminent Ukrainian writer, scholar and professor Bohdan Lepkyi, stealing a bas-relief from the gravestone.
