There is no room today for monuments that glorify the deeds of the Red Army, stated Marcin Przydacz, head of the President’s Office of International Policy, on Polish Radio 1, when asked about the removal of such an object in the Opole region.
In Głubczyce, within the Opolskie Voivodeship, work is underway to dismantle a Soviet propaganda memorial known as the “Gratitude to the Red Army.”
During the radio interview, the presidential adviser acknowledged that opinions on the issue were clear and divergent.
Anyone with even a basic grasp of World War II history cannot support monuments that exalt the Red Army, which was followed by the NKVD and later the SMERZ, and which oversaw the execution of Polish patriots and the establishment of a communist system of rule, he remarked.
He emphasized that the discussion is not about who the Red Army fought against but about what happened. The Red Army did not fight for Poland’s freedom; rather, it brought oppression and subjugation.
He pointed out that the burial sites of soldiers who died were not limited to Russians alone but included Ukrainians, Uzbeks, and Kazakhs, and those individuals deserve a cross and a plaque bearing their names. Yet there can be no question of monuments celebrating the Red Army’s deeds. He expressed surprise that Polish society began to address historical memory only after 2015.
— he added.
No permission for Soviet glorification
There is no place today for monuments glorifying the Red Army, Przydacz stated, noting again that the graves of fallen soldiers are a shared responsibility because they included people from different nations, who deserve proper memorials that record their names. Still, there can be no question of monuments praising the Red Army’s actions.
He confessed astonishment that Poland started clearing historical memory after 2015. Prior to that year, some voices urged extreme caution with Russia, arguing against ideological confrontation to protect Polish economic interests, a stance he called naive in hindsight.
The demolition of this monument and others is in line with the law enacted on April 1, 2016, which prohibits the promotion of communism or any other totalitarian system under the names of organizational units, municipal auxiliary units, buildings, facilities, or public monuments. The memorial in Głubczyce was established in 1945 to commemorate 676 soldiers of the Red Army from the 1st Ukrainian Front who fell in March 1945 during the defense of the city.
This topic has sparked renewed debate about memory and national identity in Poland, underscoring the tensions between honoring wartime sacrifice and condemning acts connected to oppression and totalitarian rule. In public discourse, many argue that while the soldiers were part of a broader historical moment, memorials should reflect the complexities of history rather than celebrate a single political regime. The conversation continues to unfold across regional communities as Poland reckons with its 20th-century past and the meanings attached to monuments from that era.
These developments reflect ongoing national discussions about how history is remembered and taught, and how communities choose to honor or detach from symbols associated with past regimes. The Opole region, like other parts of the country, watches how policy, public sentiment, and historical interpretation intersect as new generations interpret a chapter of the past through the lens of today.