BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS
DATE:
21/08/2008
Remains of Polish soldiers found in Belarus
The remains of Polish soldiers who fought the Nazis and were killed by the Soviets in September 1939, have been found in Kobryn, Belarus.
After the Nazi invasion of Poland at the beginning of September, Kobryn was an important outpost for Polish defences in its eastern territories. On the 17th and 18th September 1939, Polish forces fought against the Nazi invaders, only to take up arms against the Soviet aggressor soon after.
Andrzej Przewoznik, secretary of the Rada Ochrona Pamieci Walk i Meczenstwa, a council protecting the memory of Poland's fallen troops, told Polish Radio that the remains of 42 bodies were found in mass graves, including soldiers, policemen and civilians.
Initial speculations believe that the victims were killed by Communist partisans working in the area during that time. Among the arms found at the burial site, other items were found that made identification of the bodies possible.
Thanks to this information the bodies of two riflemen, Ludwik Lipa and Stanislaw Matyka, as well as Officer Cadet Ewaryst Zajkowski, were identified.
Andrzej Przewoznik added that exhumations will continue and the bodies will be given a formal burial ceremony as early as September in the region of Kobryn.
The Council's secretary said that the exhumations were made possible thanks to a number of different organisations, including help from Belarusian specialists.
Source:
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