BERLIN, November 13. /TASS/. The Russian Defense Ministry has expressed outrage at the desecration of the moment of gratitude to the Red Army in Warsaw and demanded that its appearance is restored, head of the Defense Ministry department on the perpetuation of the memory of people killed while defending their homeland Vladimir Popov told reporters on Friday. He heads the delegation of the Russian Defense Ministry at the events to mark the National Day of Mourning in Germany.
"Since the beginning of this year, 21 acts of vandalism against the Soviet [Russian] military burial places have been registered in Poland. With the connivance of the Polish authorities, hooligans break and damage tombstones, mar them with paint, knock off letters and inscriptions on tombstones and scribble insulting inscriptions on them," he said.
- Over 40 acts of vandalism committed against Soviet & Russian war memorials abroad in 2014
- Russia demands investigation into facts of desecration of WWII Red Army monument in Sofia
- Vandals desecrate war memorial in Ukrainian Kharkiv
- Vandals desecrate WWII Red Army graves in Poland’s Bialystok
- Monument to Red Army soldiers in south of Poland being dismantled
"Unfortunately, Poland sees far more attacks by vandals on the Soviet [Russian] burial sites than any other country in Europe," Popov said. He also recalled that there was an intergovernmental agreement between Russia and Poland on burial places and memorial sites of victims of wars and repressions of February 22, 1994.
Earlier on Friday, the Russian Foreign Ministry expressed indignation over the act of vandalism against the moment of gratitude to the Red Army in Warsaw’s Skaryszewski Park committed on November 11. "We demand that necessary measures be taken to find and punish the perpetrators, restore the former appearance of the monument and prevent the recurrence of similar incidents in the future," the ministry said.