In the Bilostok area near the village of Liski in the Lublin Voivodeship, unknown individuals desecrated a mass grave of soldiers from the Ukrainian Insurgent Army. The Ukrainian Embassy in Poland reported this latest act of vandalism. Ukrainian soldiers who died on 26 February 1946 in a battle with NKVD troops are buried at this site. The diplomatic mission has called on the Polish authorities to identify those responsible, bring them to justice and restore the memorial.
How the memorial near the village of Liski was damaged
Photographs released by diplomats show that part of the monument has been daubed with black paint. Memorial lamps and flower pots near the grave have been scattered and damaged.
Part of the structure, painted in blue and yellow and bearing the inscription «Glory to the Heroes», has also been destroyed. There is currently no information about those involved in the vandalism.
The Embassy emphasised that the deliberate damage to graves and memorials is unacceptable. The diplomats stated that such sites must remain outside political disputes, regardless of the complex chapters in the shared history of Ukraine and Poland.
The embassy has called for those responsible to be identified and punished
The Ukrainian side has appealed to the relevant Polish authorities to take the necessary procedural steps without delay and to establish all the circumstances of the incident.
The Embassy expects the law enforcement authorities to identify those involved in the damage to the memorial, and for those responsible to face the consequences provided for by law. Separately, the diplomats called for the damaged memorial to be restored.
The Ukrainian mission also expressed concern over reports of other acts of hostility and aggression towards Ukrainians in Poland. Attempts to turn historical disputes into acts of vandalism and intimidation must be subject to appropriate legal scrutiny, the diplomats emphasised.
The memorial had been damaged on previous occasions
This is not the first time the mass grave in the Bilostok area has been desecrated. The memorial was damaged around 2014, and in September 2025, unknown individuals left anti-Ukrainian graffiti on it and splashed paint over it.
The monument was erected at the burial site UPA fighters, who died in 1946. The site is situated within the municipality of Dolgobyczów in Hrubieszów County, Lublin Voivodeship.
Ukraine calls for the memory of the tragic events of the past to be preserved through dialogue and mutual respect. The investigation into this latest incident of vandalism should reveal whether the Polish authorities are able to effectively protect Ukrainian graves and memorials from further attacks.
