G. Braun, a member of the European Parliament, posted a video on the social network “Facebook” on Thursday, showing him and others smashing a stone obelisk with a heavy object resembling a club, breaking and damaging part of the monument engraved with Ukrainian names.
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It is also visible that the mentioned monument is dedicated to the memory of UPA soldiers.
“The obelisk, which insults the memory of the victims of the Ukrainian genocide against Poles, should be removed with professional tools!” wrote the far-right politician.
The granite obelisk is dedicated to Ukrainians who died fighting the Soviet People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs (NKVD). The monument stands in the village of Białystok, Dolgobichuv municipality (Hrubieszów County, Lublin Voivodeship), where Ukrainians who died in 1946 were buried.
The monument is dedicated to 41 Ukrainian soldiers. The first monument was erected here in the 10th decade of the 20th century, and the granite obelisk with the names of the dead was built in 2019.
An investigation has begun
According to the news portal RMF24, a preparatory process was initiated related to “insulting a group of Ukrainian nationality by damaging the burial site of those who died fighting NKVD officers.”
Currently, the case is being investigated by the Hrubieszów district prosecutor’s office, looking for the perpetrators and trying to determine whether a crime was committed.
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It is reported that on Sunday unknown persons desecrated the coat of arms and inscriptions engraved on the monument “because of the nationality of the deceased,” making them unreadable. This crime carries a penalty of up to five years in prison.
Investigators reported that they preserved a video of the Polish politician showing G. Braun damaging the obelisk with a heavy tool.
Not the first time
The obelisk has already been a victim of vandalism several times. In 2026, it was smeared with paint, and the arch decorating the stone was also cut out.
At that time, the Ukrainian embassy officially condemned this act of vandalism.
According to the diplomatic mission, any damage to monuments is unacceptable.
“Despite the difficult and tragic pages of our shared history, cemeteries and memorial sites should remain above political disputes and be respected,” the statement emphasized.
