MOSCOW, August 14. /TASS/. Russia demands Poland find and punish those responsible for desecration of the burials of Soviet soldiers in the cities of Makow and Kielce, the Russian foreign ministry said on Sunday.
Moscow is resentful at the ongoing "unbridled campaign aimed against Soviet World War II memorials in Poland," the ministry said. "In late July - early August, the cemetery of Red Army soldiers in the city of Kielce was desecrated two times. Memorial stones were brought down, two of them were broken. In early August, an insulting sign was painted across the central statuary at the Soviet military cemetery in the city of Makow. Vandals built fire in a flower bed."
"Despite its liabilities committed to paper in article 3 of the agreement between the Russian and Polish governments on cemeteries and memorials to victims of wars and repressions of February 22, 1994, the Polish authorities failed to inform the Russian side about the abovementioned acts of barbarianism," the ministry said.
"We have to draw attention of the Polish side to the fact that its repeated pledges about state-level protection of Red Army soldiers and officers in Poland turn out not to stand up to criticism," the Russian foreign ministry stressed. "The atmosphere of anti-Russia hysteria which is whipping up in that country encourages vandals who no longer are afraid of the consequences of their actions against Soviet memorial facilities, including cemeteries."
"We strongly condemn more acts of insulting the memory of Soviet liberator soldiers which have become a routine practice in Poland," the ministry said. "We demand those responsible be found and punished. We stress that each case of desecration or destruction of any of our memorial facilities in Poland will not be left without reaction from the Russian side.".