An article featured in the Russian daily Izvestia is calling on the
Russian government to ask Poland to explain the fate of Russian
prisoners of war during the war with Poland in 1919-20. According to the
Novosti news agency, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov should raise
this issue during his visit to Warsaw slated for Nov.22. The inquest is
inspired by Russians alarmed at the campaign conducted by families of
the Polish servicemen slain by the Soviets at Katyn during World War II.
According to the article, Poland could be entitled to
multimillion-dollar compensations while Russia is silent about a similar
massacre of over 80,000 Red Army soldiers during the 1919-1920 war. The
Russians are flabbergasted that there is not even a single statue
commemorating victims at the graveyards in Tuchali and Pulawa, the
burial sites of their fallen heroes. During the opening ceremony of the
Katyn Cemetery, Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek welcomed a new chance for
reconciliation and forgiveness between the two countries and thus
Izvestia believes it is now time for Poland to extend a reciprocal
goodwill gesture. (Rzeczpospolita, Nov. 18-19, p. A5) S.M.
