Zdjęcie Ambasady Polskiej w Mińsku
To the West, last week was overshadowed by the aggravation of diplomatic conflict with Poland centred on the Polish national day of remembrance of “cursed soldiers”, which is traditionally a problematic issue for Belarus.
The event commemorates the participants of the anti-Soviet armed underground. It features a march of “damned soldiers” in Hainouka, honouring(among others) Ramuald Rice, who was convicted of war crimes in 1949 as a war criminal for murdering 79 Orthodox Belarusian peasants in eastern Poland but later rehabilitated.
On March 9, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry summoned Polish
charge d’affaires, Martin Wojciechowski, to deliver a strong protest regarding the Polish Consul in Brest, Jerzy Timofiejuk. The point of contention was Mr Timofiejuk’s participation in an informal event dedicated to the “Day of the Damned Soldiers” featuring participants representing non-governmental and youth organisations associated with Poland, held in Brest on February 28, 2021. The Polish side was handed a note requesting that Consul