Ministry condemns destruction of Polish memorial art in Belarus

Poland's foreign ministry on Tuesday condemned the Belarusian regime for ordaining the destruction of a mural commemorating Poland's 1920 victory over the Red Army in a Catholic church in western Belarus.

Łukasz Jasina, the ministry spokesperson, said on social media that the mural, which has been painted over, had been a part of the Polish cultural heritage in Belarus.

"We condemn the destruction of the Polish cultural heritage in Belarus by the Lukashenko regime. This heritage is an integral part of Belarusian history," Jasina said.

He also called the act "undignified and against the principles of the civilised world."

The mural, titled "Miracle on the Vistula," was housed in a church in the locality of Soly near Grodno. It depicted the Polish army's victory over a Europe-invading Soviet force on the outskirts of Warsaw during the so-called Polish-Soviet War of 1920-21.

In December the mural was criticised on Belarusian public TV, where it was accused of inciting national and religious hatred.