Institute of National Remembrance

Institute of National Remembrance https://ipn.gov.pl/en/news/795,Press-meeting-of-Deputy-President-of-the-IPN-Dr-Pawel-Ukielski-on-mo numents-of-g.html 2021-10-02, 18:08 12.10.2015 Press meeting of Deputy President of the IPN Dr. Paweł Ukielski on "monuments of gratitude" of the Red Army in Poland - Warsaw, 21 September 2015 „A reliable and documented monograph on 'monuments of gratitude' of the Red Army will help understand why the free Poland wants to get rid of symbols of dependence on the Soviet Union,” said Deputy President of the Institute of National Remembrance Dr. Paweł Ukielski, announcing that he would send this new publication into the hands of Ambassador of the Russian Federation Sergey Andreyev. The book „»Pomniki Wdzięczności« Armii Czerwonej w Polsce Ludowej i w III Rzeczypospolitej [„Monuments of Gratitude” of the Red Army in the Polish People's Republic and the Third Republic] by Dominika Czarnecka is the ﬁrst attempt at a synthetic presentation of the fate of monuments of glory of the Red Army in postwar Poland.

„Out of nearly 500 monuments, which were erected in Poland, about a hundred is still standing,” said the director of Public Education Oﬃce Andrzej Zawistowski. He explained that we are talking only about the monuments erected outside permanent cemeteries where soldiers were buried.

”Other towns should follow the example of Pieniężno, where by the decision of local authorities the monument of gen. Ivan Chernyakhovsky, responsible, among other things for the liquidation of the Home Army in the Vilnius region, was dismantled,” said Dr. Pawel Ukielski. „And this is not in any way a gesture aimed against Russia. We hope that after reading the book it becomes clear also for the Ambassador Andreyev,” said Deputy President of the IPN.

First „monuments of gratitude” appeared already in 1944 in the most prestigious locations in most Polish cities. The initiators of building monuments were Soviets, as they emphatically underlined their dominance. However, the Polish authorities also showed initiative. The monuments were created until the eighties, though most of them were built in the first decade of the Polish People's Republic. Poles in different ways rebelled against the presence of so visible symbols of the Soviet domination and falsification of history.

Year 1989, the turning point in the history of Poland, led eventually to the exit of Soviet troops, but up to this day not all of the „monuments of gratitude” have been removed. Also there are still defenders of their existence.

The work of Dr. Dominika Czarnecka was awarded an honorary mention in the Władyslaw Pobóg-Malinowski competition Historic Debut of the Year for 2014.

The Polish-Russian dispute about the Soviet memorials erupted with new force after the decision of local authorities from Pieniężno (a small municipality in north-eastern Poland), who decided to remove the monument of gen. Ivan Chernyakhovsky. The removal of the monument was launched on the anniversary of the Soviet aggression of 17 September 1939. The attack on Poland was the consequence of Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact that had been signed by the Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.

„The Pieniężno authorities' actions should be an example to follow for other places where there are still similar monuments. The Russian pressure on Polish authorities are considered by the IPN as inappropriate," said President of IPN Łukasz Kamiński at that time.

Referring to the date of the invasion of the Soviet Union on Poland on 17 September 1939, Kamiński wrote that „the armed forces of the Soviet Union become a tool for violent annexation of half of the territory of the Republic" and „Soviet policy in the coming years prevented the restoration of an independent Polish state and became the primary tool to protect the forcibly introduced Communist totalitarian system. „ „As a result of the Soviet Union actions for several years hundreds of thousands of Poles had been murdered or subjected to brutal repressions. Among the criminals was General of the Red Army Ivan Chernyakhovsky, responsible among other things for the liquidation of the Home Army in the Vilnius region and insidious arrest of its command, including Colonel Aleksander Krzyżanowski nom de guerre 'Wolf'," he said.

Ivan Chernyakhovsky commanded one of the armies at the battle of Kursk. For his contribution on the battleﬁeld and forcing the Dnieper was promoted to lieutenant general and awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union.

According to Polish historians, the Soviet commander is a symbol of „imposing a Communist system in Poland, against the will of the people and in violation of the law”. He took part in the liquidation of the Vilnius district structures of the Home Army, which was the armed force of the Polish legitimate government in exile. He led to the arrest of Aleksander Krzyżanowski nom de guerre 'Wolf'. He was also responsible for disarmament and arrest of eight thousand Army soldiers, most of them being sent to labour camps or forcibly annexed by the Red Army.

The monument in Pieniężno was built in the 1970s near the place where the Soviet commander was mortally wounded during the East Prussian operations. He died on 18 February 1945 and was buried in Vilnius. After Lithuania regained its independence, his remains were moved to the cemetery in Moscow. The Vilnius statue of General was then taken to the Russian Voronezh.