Polish president honours victims of 1945 Augustów Roundup massacre by Soviets

The Polish president has issued a message to mark 78 years since the so-called Augustów Roundup massacre, in which hundreds of Polish anti-communist fighters were killed by Soviet soldiers and secret police.

The Augustów Roundup Memorial in the northeastern Polish village of Giby.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/August%C3%B3w_Roundup_Memorial_in_Giby_02.jpg

Andrzej Duda’s message was published on Wednesday, July 12, which is the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Augustów Roundup, the PAP news agency reported.

The president wrote: “I join in paying tribute to our compatriots who have fallen for their loyalty to the homeland. I also express my appreciation for everyone who cultivates historical truth and helps disseminate it.”

„Obchodzimy dzisiaj święto państwowe – Dzień Pamięci Ofiar Obławy Augustowskiej. Łączę się z Państwem w hołdzie dla naszych rodaków poległych za wierność Ojczyźnie. Składam też wyrazy uznania wszystkim dbającym o historyczną prawdę i przyczyniającym się do jej upowszechniania” –… pic.twitter.com/Cf1lh34i0C

— Kancelaria Prezydenta (@prezydentpl) July 12, 2023

Duda added that “the events of July 12, 1945 are often referred to as the Small Katyn” because the tragedy resembles the 1940 Soviet massacre of thousands of Polish officers and intellectuals, the PAP news agency reported.

The president also said that in both cases, Polish patriots were killed by the Soviet Red Army and NKVD secret police.

In both cases, Poles then “had to fight for the remembrance of the victims,” Duda stated.

He noted that "unlike with the Katyn Massacre, the burial places of most of the victims of the Augustów Roundup have never been found.”

Dzień Pamięci Ofiar Obławy Augustowskiej. Miejsce spoczynku prawie 600 Polaków, pojmanych przez sowieckich okupantów 78 lat temu, nadal nie jest znane. Zginęli, bo byli Polakami.
Pamięć! pic.twitter.com/7AJXMCpOg6

— PL1918 (@PL1918) July 12, 2023

The president wrote: “I join in the pain of the families and loved ones of the victims. I acknowledge your profound suffering in not knowing what the victims went through after being arrested and due to the fact that there are no graves.”

 Polish President Andrzej Duda.   PAP/EPA/FILIP SINGER

Duda said, as quoted by the PAP news agency: "It is my hope that the truth about the fate of the victims of the Augustów Roundup massacre will see the light of day and alleviate the pain in the hearts of their families."

The president thanked "everyone who helped cultivate the memory of the Augustów massacre in the intervening decades," including the loved ones of the victims, the people of the Augustów area in northeastern Poland, and the state-run Institute for National Remembrance (IPN).

🟥 #TegoDnia 1945 r. rozpoczęła się #ObławaAugustowska – sowiecka operacja wojskowa wymierzona w polskie podziemie niepodległościowe.

Zatrzymano ponad 7 tys. osób, z których prawie 600 zostało zamordowanych. #SowieckieZbrodnie

🔎 Przeczytaj więcej: https://t.co/pthgizNvdv pic.twitter.com/DHIgbHX1uv

— Instytut Pamięci Narodowej (@ipngovpl) July 12, 2023

According to the latest historical research, the 1945 Soviet operation known as the Augustów Roundup could have claimed the lives of some 2,000 Polish anti-communist fighters, the PAP news agency reported.

The 1945 massacre is regarded as the worst crime against the Polish people after World War II, according to news outlets.

(pm/gs)

Source: IAR, PAP, prezydent.pl