By remembering the sacrifice of our ancestors, we fill our hearts with the spirit of their courage; We make another great promise to build a successful future together, President Andrzej Duda said at the Rossa Cemetery in Vilnius during the celebrations of the 161st anniversary of the January Uprising on Sunday.
161st anniversary of the outbreak of the January Uprising
The 161st anniversary of the outbreak of the January Uprising was celebrated at the Rossa Cemetery in Vilnius. The ceremony was attended by representatives of – as reported – four nations that fought in the uprising; He represented Poland President Andrzej DudaLithuania – President Gitanas NausedaUkraine and the Ambassador to Lithuania Petro Beshta. She represented the Belarusian nation Swiatlana Tsikhanouskayaleader of the democratic opposition of Belarus.
“The words of that manifesto still resonate strongly with us today.
During the ceremony, President Duda thanked the President of Lithuania Gitanas Nauseda for “important gestures that have aroused the gratitude of Poles in recent years”, including: presence during the 610th anniversary of the Battle of Grunwald.
I often think back to last year’s celebrations marking the 160th anniversary of the outbreak of the January Uprising, when I had the honor of hosting President Nauseda and his wife in Warsaw. It was there, in Poland’s capital, that the conspirators for independence on January 22, 1863 said ‘no’ to the brutal repression of the Tsarist authorities.
– Duda noticed. He recalled that “from Warsaw came a call to the people of Poland, Lithuania and Russia to resist despotism and take part in the armed confrontation of European civilization with savage barbarism.”
The words of that manifesto still resonate strongly with us today. For centuries, there has been no end to the peaceful and armed resistance against the same violence, conquest, plunder and humiliation, against the inhuman order known as the ‘Russian Mir’. The next stage of this struggle is now a full-scale invasion of Russia into independent Ukraine, as well as a tightening of the noose on Belarus, which means the Minsk regime’s dependence on the Kremlin.
– Duda emphasized.
He added that “the free nations of Central and Eastern Europe, by opposing Russia’s neo-imperialist policies, express solidarity with the struggling Ukrainians and the Belarusian democratic opposition.”
“Our nations must unite…”
President Nauseda said that in view of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and the destruction of the Belarusian state and nationality, the January Uprising appears to be an important example of resistance to tyranny.
Nowadays we have no room for mistakes. We have no right to show weakness, to hesitate pointlessly or to give up our solidarity, which has already stood the test of time. The fate of not only Lithuania, but of our entire region, depends on our ability to resist imperialist thinking and action
– he said.
Nauseda expressed his gratitude to President Duda for his efforts to strengthen Polish-Lithuanian cooperation in the fields of common history as well as in political, economic and security fields. As he said, today’s mutual ties strongly unite our nations.
And at the right time – now, when our enemy rears its ugly head again, we must be together
– he pointed out.
The President of Lithuania assured that Poland and Lithuania are doing everything they can to continue supporting Ukraine, which is defending itself against Russia, and also working together to support the democratic movement of Belarus.
Our nations must unite, as they did 161 years ago, in a common struggle for freedom
– added.
Tsikhanouskaya: Our enslaved nations united in this uprising
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya recalled that although the January Uprising was not victorious, it became an important stage in the formation of the Belarusian nation, among others. thanks to the leader of the uprising in present-day Belarus, Konstanty (“Kastuś”) Kalinowski.
Our enslaved nations united in this rebellion (…). They fought for a free future for the entire continent
– she said.
And today, the fate of freedom, democracy and the right of nations to self-determination is once again at stake in our part of the world. Once again we are against the same empire and once again we must count on the solidarity of the democratic world
– she said.
As she noted, the Russian regime is trying to destroy the statehood of Ukraine and Belarus and their national consciousness, including by rewriting historical textbooks or destroying monuments.
Our job is to finish the work started by the January insurgents. I believe that this time we will succeed and tyranny will be defeated. I believe that the democratic world will not abandon our people to the aggressor this time
– said Tsikhanouskaya.
Ambassador Beshta said that the “imperial mentality” still pervades the Russian state and society today.
We are currently at a crucial moment in history, when our future and our existence are at stake
– he said.
The diplomat called on the entire international community to mobilize in support of Ukraine, stressing that every Ukrainian is “extremely grateful to Lithuania, Poland and all other partners for their unprecedented support in these dark times.”
Vilnius Rossa is one of the Polish national necropolises. Many figures distinguished for the history of Poland, as well as Lithuania and Belarus, are buried in the cemetery. Figures linked to the January Uprising are also buried there, including General Zygmunt Sierakowski, who commanded the rebels in Samogitia, and Konstanty Kalinowski, a Polish and Belarusian independence activist who led the uprising in Lithuania. In 2019, the remains of the January insurgents, previously found during archaeological research on Vilnius Castle Hill, were buried on Rossa – including the remains of Sierakowski and Kalinowski, captured and executed by the Russians.
The January Uprising began on January 22, 1863. The insurgents attacked Russian garrisons in the Kingdom of Poland. During the military operations that lasted more than a year and a half, more than a thousand smaller and larger skirmishes took place, and a total of at least 150,000 people took part in the fighting. insurgents. The January Uprising was the longest and most massive independence movement of the 19th century. The outcome of the uprising was tragic: tens of thousands died or were executed by the Russians, exiled to Siberia and confiscation of the property of the uprising’s participants. the revolt.
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Source: wPolityce