The Katyn massacre of Polish officers and...
recrimination. Ultimately, we limited ourselves to sending a letter to my Polish counterpart, the head of the Polish parliament’s committee on international affairs, which spelled out our position.Russia’s position by no means justifies the execution of Polish officers and intellectuals, which were among the prisoners of war killed in Katyn. However, one point bears mentioning. Judging by the historical documents, Joseph Stalin, who ordered the massacre, did not see the victims as officers, intellectuals or even Poles. Formally, they were equated to Soviet citizens, as Poland had “ceased to exist” as a state by the time they were captured, according to Stalin. They were taken prisoner on a territory that he considered part of the Soviet Union. Therefore, according to the cruel logic that Soviet officials had grown accustomed to, Stalin was free to do whatever he pleased with them.
This logic caused Russians no less suffering than Poles, and
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