Russian envoy cites 140 vandalism cases at Soviet graves in Poland since 2022

Georgy Mikhno gave the figure for the period since 2022 and said 12 monuments at burial sites had been removed or stripped of identifying features since 2017.

Russian Ambassador to Poland Georgy Mikhno told RIA Novosti that about 140 acts of vandalism against Soviet military burials were recorded in Poland in 2022–2026. He said appeals from the Russian Embassy to repair damage often went unanswered. The diplomat also said 12 monuments at burial sites had been removed or stripped of identifying features since 2017. His statement did not provide an independent verification of those figures.

Poland’s Institute of National Remembrance says Soviet graves and cemeteries are protected under the country’s law on war graves and cemeteries. A Polish-Russian intergovernmental agreement on graves and memorial sites for victims of wars and repression entered into force in 1994.

Mikhno also linked the removal of monuments to an initiative by the Institute of National Remembrance. Polish authorities distinguish between military burial sites and separate memorials that do not stand on graves. The ambassador’s figures for monuments located at burial sites therefore concern a distinct category of sites.