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Russia Turns Katyn Memorial Into “Russophobia” Exhibit at Site of Soviet Massacre of Polish Officers
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![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
A new mobile exhibition, titled Ten Centuries of Polish Russophobia, has been unveiled at the Katyn Memorial Complex in Russia's Smolensk region.
The exhibition was organized by the Russian Military-Historical Society, headed by Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, according to Radio Liberty on April 16.
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The display is set up on the grounds of the infamous site where Soviet NKVD agents executed thousands of Polish prisoners of war, primarily officers, in 1940. The Katyn massacre resulted in the deaths of over 4,000 Polish nationals, a crime that was initially denied by the Soviet government, which claimed the killings were carried out by the Nazis after their invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, as reported by Radio Liberty.
In 1990, the Soviet authorities acknowledged their responsibility for the massacre. A position later confirmed by Russian officials, including former leader Dmitry Medvedev and leader Vladimir Putin, who in 2010, alongside the Russian State Duma , officially recognized the atrocity and declared that it had been committed under the orders of Joseph Stalin and other Soviet leaders.
According to the description on the RVIO website, the exhibition focuses on the theme of “Polish elites’ hatred of Russia” throughout different historical periods. The exhibition's narrative asserts that this animosity was expressed through “the conquest of Russian territory” and “the destruction of Russian, Belarusian, and Malorosia peoples.”
In a related development, Russian authorities are planning to amend the Criminal Code to introduce penalties for “Russophobia.”
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Interfax news agency reported it had obtained a government document approving a draft law prepared by a group of lawmakers. The proposal states that individuals accused of Russophobia could be tried in absentia.
The draft law also suggests that those convicted of Russophobia could be barred from holding certain positions or engaging in specific activities within Russia. However, the government acknowledged that this measure could prove ineffective, as it targets individuals living outside the country.
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