At the Rakovica Cemetery in Krakow (Poland), unknown people damaged the grave of Ukrainian writer, scientist, and professor Bohdan Lepky. A bas-relief of the writer was stolen from the tombstone.
This was reported at a briefing by the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Heorhiy Tykhyi. His words are quoted by Interfax-Ukraine.
Information about the damage to the monument had previously spread on social media. In particular, photos were published by Facebook user Ihor Monchuk.
Igor Monchuk / Facebook
The Consulate General of Ukraine in Krakow immediately appealed to the police, the administration of the Rakovytskie Cemetery, and the local authorities of Krakow with a call to conduct an investigation, find those involved in the crime, and take urgent measures to return or restore the stolen bas-relief, as well as to ensure proper protection of the burial site.
"We view this act of vandalism as a deliberate provocation aimed at further inflaming hostility between Ukraine and the Republic of Poland," Tykhyi told reporters.
Deterioration of relations between Ukraine and Poland
On May 26, Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree awarding the Separate Special Operations Center "North" of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine the honorary title "named after the Heroes of UPA". The document states that this was done "to restore the historical traditions of the national army".
This decision by the Ukrainian president caused outrage among Poles. And on June 19, incumbent President Karol Nawrocki stripped Zelensky of the Order of the White Eagle, Polandʼs highest state award, which he had been awarded by former Polish President Andrzej Duda. Zelensky later sent his order to Poland via “Nova Post”.
After that, three former Ukrainian presidents: Leonid Kuchma, Viktor Yushchenko, and Petro Poroshenko, as well as other Ukrainian high-ranking officials, refused the order. In addition, former deputy of the Polish Sejm Piotr Vogler refused the Golden Cross of Merit.
At the same time, Polish politicians began to refuse Ukrainian state awards. In particular, this decision was announced by former Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak and former Polish Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński. And former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki “as a sign of protest” transferred the Ukrainian Order of Yaroslav the Wise to the Museum of Memory of the Victims of the Volyn Tragedy in Chelm, Poland.
On July 3, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga, at a meeting with his Polish counterpart Radoslaw Sikorski, proposed to Poland a "package of anti-crisis steps" to regulate relations between the countries. These include consultations between the foreign ministries, a meeting of historians studying World War II, and the involvement of religious leaders of the countries in the dialogue.
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