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Russia slams Poland for banning entry to sanctioned Crimean official

"The Polish authorities’ actions are grossly violating the goals and principles of the OSCE work as of an institution required to defend human rights," the Russian Foreign Ministry stressed

MOSCOW, September 25 /TASS/. The Russian Foreign Ministry has criticized Poland for banning Georgy Muradov, the deputy head of the Council of Ministers of Crimea, from entering Poland to attend an OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting (HDIM).

This is another unfriendly move by the Polish authorities that will lead to negative consequences, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement published on the ministry’s website on Friday.

"The Polish authorities’ decision prompted by the fact that Muradov is included in the EU sanctions list of Russian nationals arouses complete rejection because it is running counter to Warsaw’s commitments to ensure the activities of international organizations, including the Warsaw-based Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) which is supervising the HDIM meeting," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

"The Polish authorities’ actions are grossly violating the goals and principles of the OSCE work as of an institution required to defend human rights," the Russian Foreign Ministry stressed.

"A legitimate question about Warsaw’s ability to perform its functions of a country, which hosts the OSCE ODIHR and is the venue of pan-European forums is coming to mind ," the Russian Foreign Ministry went on to say.

"We regard the incident as another unfriendly step by Poland. The Polish side bears full responsibility for the incident’s negative consequences for the Russian-Polish relations," the Russian Foreign Ministry stressed.

Russia demands to punish those who vandalised graves of Soviet WWII soldiers in Poland 

The statement also says Moscow demands from Poland to take thorough measures for identifying and punishing the criminals that vandalised the graves of Soviet WWII soldiers in the Polish city of Milejczyce.

"On September 25, Poland’s Ambassador to Moscow Katarzyna Pelczynska-Nalecz was summoned to Russia’s Foreign Ministry to hear a resolute protest at the act of desecration made by unidentified vandals of more than 50 tombstones on the graves of Soviet soldiers at Milejczyce’s cemetery where around 1,600 servicemen of the Red Army killed on the Polish soil during World War II were buried," the ministry said.

"Russia demands from the Polish side to take thorough measures for identifying and punishing the criminals and for immediate restoration of the smashed tombs at Milejczyce's cemetery as well as to provide official explanations over a blatant failure to execute its duties on protection of the Russian military cemeteries," the ministry said.

"Russia again has to reiterate that the Polish authorities do not heed to our repeated appeals to take through measures aimed at cutting short and preventing frequented episodes of vandalism of the graves of Soviet soldiers killed while liberating that country from Nazi invaders," it said.

"There is an impression that desecration of our memorial places has gained a status of state policy in Poland since recently the Polish authorities have not made public any official statements condemning these actions. No-one guilty has been punished," the Russian foreign ministry said.