Vandals destroyed a Polish cemetery in Kolomyia
Unidentified people desecrated concrete crosses in a cemetery in Kolomyia, Ivano-Frankivsk region, where Polish soldiers who fought against Western Ukrainian separatism in 1918 are buried, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
The regional department of the National Police stated that criminal proceedings have been opened because of this.
According to witnesses quoted by Polish Radio, on October 27, 200 new consecrated crosses were installed at the cemetery. On the night of November 4-5, unknown persons toppled dozens of new memorial signs to Polish soldiers. Some of them were broken. Representatives of Polish organizations reported the act of vandalism to the police and the Security Service of Ukraine, the publication writes.
The city authorities of Kolomyia have already restored some of the crosses and carried out landscaping work.
The Polish community of Kolomyia emphasized that there are no interfaith or ethnic conflicts in the city. Locals suggest that the destruction of Polish graves could be a provocation.
At the same time, in the communications sector of the Main Directorate of the NP in the Ivano-Frankivsk region, they reported that criminal proceedings had been opened on the basis of a crime under Part 1 of Article 296 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, that is, hooliganism committed with a gross violation of public order in motives of obvious disrespect for society, accompanied by special insolence or exceptional cynicism.
Now the police are taking measures to identify those involved in this crime and bring them to justice.
Vandals vandalize a Polish cemetery in Kolomyia.