Poland prepares to mark the 70th anniversary of the Russian invasion on Poland and the Katyn genocide which followed.
Click on the audio icon above to listen to the report by Joanna Najfeld.
In the run up to the 70th anniversary of the 1939 Soviet invasion on Poland, which, coupled with the German-Soviet agreement, and French and British hesitancy, sealed Poland's fate at the beginning of World War Two, parliamentarians in Poland decided to pass a special resolution on this occasion. Also, official and more informal commemoration ceremonies are being prepared on different levels.
Polish parliamentarians agree on the general idea of a resolution condemning the Russian attack and the Katyn genocide, but are still debating the wording. Many commentators perceive the politicians' fierce debate on such a painful issue as tactless. According to a public opinion survey published in today's Rzeczpospolita, 70 percent of Poles strongly support the parliament resolution clearly condemning the Russian invasion on Poland and the Katyn genocide.
Official and less official commemoration ceremonies marking the 70th anniversary of the Russian aggression are to be held all over the country on the 17th of September. In the heart of Warsaw, at the Royal Castle, a huge and much anticipated concert will also be held to mark the 17th anniversary of the Russian aggression on Poland, featuring Lisa Gerrard and Klaus Schulze performing a specially composed piece "In Tribute to Poland". Parallel commemoration ceremonies commemorating the victims of the 1939 Soviet invasion on Poland will be held in Hungary, where a lot of Poles emigrated.
Meanwhile, a grassroots campaign has been initiated to mark the 17th of September. Poles are encouraged to light candles in their windows at 9pm, to honor the memory of victims of the Soviet totalitarianism. An identical campaign remembering the victims of the German Nazi invasion was held on the 1st of September.