THOUSANDS OF COMMEMORATION LIGHTS AT THE GRAVES OF OUR SOLDIERS IN POLAND

On the eve of the 9th of May Polish priests and artists addressed the Polish nation calling it to light up the candles at the graves of the Soviet soldiers as a token of reconciliation and gratitude for the liberation from the fascists.

Hundreds of thousands of Soviet soldiers — who died for the sake of liberation of Poland from the fascists in 1944-45 — are buried at the military cemeteries in Poland. The largest cemetery, where more than 32 thousand of the soldiers-liberators have found their final peace, is situated in Braniewo, close to the border with the Kaliningrad oblast. There are nearly 22 thousands in Warsaw, at the Żwirko and Wigura Street, 11 thousand — in Bielsko-Biała, 8 thousand — in Wrocław. Polish government is regularly allotting several million zloty for the maintenance of these Second World War memorials, but you may only find there fresh flowers or lit up candles once in a blue moon. After the collapse of the socialistic bloc quite new approach to the estimate of the Soviet Army role in the liberation of the country started to prevail. Our soldiers were treated as the occupants, who brought socialism on their bayonets. Role of the USSR as the liberator from the Hitler’s fascism moved to the background without being noticed.

The 65th anniversary of the great victory became the turning point in the attitude of common Poles towards our country and the role of the Soviet soldiers in the Polish liberation.

"Most of them were just usual boys, who advanced at Berlin, having dreamed of love rather than of Stalin’s ideals. It is not enemies who are buried in the Polish land, but rather people who brought us freedom. Aren’t we able to comprehend the tragedy of these soldiers, their blood and pain?" — said archbishop metropolitan Józef Zhitinski from Lublin.

A week ago, being touched by the solidarity of the Russian nation after the catastrophe near Smolensk, he called for all the Poles to visit the Soviet military cemeteries on the anniversary of the Victory Day as a mark of commemoration and gratitude, as a mark of Russo-Polish reconciliation. Dozens of artists, scientists and politicians joined the call of archbishop. Great Polish poetess, Nobel Prize winner, Wisława Szymborska and great director Andrzej Wajda, author of "Katyn", are among them. Names of everyone who signed that appeal may be found at http://www.9maja.pl/list.php. Here’s the excerpt from it:

"After the Smolensk catastrophe that took place on the 10th of April, 2010 Russian people have sincerely and touchingly expressed their solidarity with the Polish nation. Russian sympathy, their willingness to help, readiness to start a discussion about the tragic pages of our common history give us the hope. As a mark of thankfulness for that, let’s light up the candles at the graveyards of the Soviet soldiers, at the graves of Russian soldiers and soldiers of other nationalities who died far from their homes and beloved ones. Reconciliation between Poland and Russia should be born to commemorate these victims".

And here’s what Andrzej Wajda said during his interview to "Gazeta Wyborzca": "I will go to the graveyard and light up a candle because every single Soviet soldier fought for what was right, right for all of us just as well. We have to do all we can in order to reconcile Poles with Russians, especially today, when Russians sympathize us and our tragedy, while the voices of the people willing to embroil us again are heard from the other side. Sick relationship between our nations emerged due to the fact that it was difficult to distinguish Russians from the USSR and the socialistic system. We have to get rid of suspiciousness at last. It was Stalin and the executors of his orders who murdered Polish officers at Katyn, this is a crime of Stalin’s regime rather than common Russians.

Ordinary Russian citizens were just the same victims of communism as we, Poles, were. I saw what my Russian friends Andrei Tarkovsky and Vladimir Vysotsky had to bear. During those terrible times my friendship with Vysotsky was the hope for the future — as long as we trusted each other, as long as we were together at the times of trouble, we were able to do something great, something that would unify us in future. And this time has finally come."

Poles usually consider opinions of such people like Vajda abd Szymborska. On the 9th of May hundreds of people came to the military cemeteries: Polish veterans, representatives of the governmental and municipal structures, priesthood and the common Poles. Thousands of candles were lit up at the graves of the Soviet soldiers. National anthems of Russia and Poland were performed, Polish priests held a memorial service. Grzegorz Napieralski, one of the candidates for the Polish Presidential post, also attended the grave of the Soviet soldiers in Warsaw and made a bow in front of the grave. After the wreath-laying ceremony he told journalists: "I believe that Poland and Russia have already become closer and this relationship will become deeper as long as you have to seek for friends nearby, and Russia is our neighbor".

In some Polish cities tradition of attending the graveyards of the Soviet soldiers has never interrupted even during the years of the cooling down in the Russo-Polish relations. Since 1990 commemoration ceremony is hold at the Bielsko-Biała on the yearly basis — ashes of 11 thousand nameless Soviet warriors lie at 21 common graves there. These ceremonies were initiated by the late ksiądz Józef Sanak (former prisoner of Stalin’s camps) and Henrik Yushik, former functionary of the "Solidarity" movement and today’s chair of the city council. This year it was ksiądz Miroslaw Shevechek from the St. Trinity parish who said a prayer at the graveyard under the pouring rain.

"Everyone is equal in the sight of God and death. If there’s a chance to hold a shared prayer, I’d always be willing to participate. All the more, when there’s a tension in the relationship between the nations, I would like to be the one calling for the reconciliation rather than the protest" — he said.

It couldn’t have done without accidents, though. During the ceremony at the graveyard in Gdansk, few people with the posters saying "Do not light up the candles at the graves of the occupants" appeared. Well-known Polish pianist Romuald Kapersky tried to seize the poster from the hands of protesters. The police had to interfere.

For the first time in the history Polish servicemen took part in the parade at the Red Square in Moscow. Bronisław Komorowski, Acting President and the most probable future President of Poland, was an honorable guest of the Russian President. In spite of the holiday, Dmitry Medvedev received Komorowski and granted him the unclassified volumes of the criminal lawsuit regarding the Katyn shooting. All this inspire certain hope for the better future of our relationship.

By Gregory Tinsky