Scandal on the Ukrainian website: the Virtuti Militari order is up for sale. The Institute of National Remembrance appeals

On one of the Ukrainian websites, there was an offer to sell the Virtuti Militari Military Order awarded to Capt. Juliusz Roman Heinzl, an officer murdered by the NKVD in the spring of 1940 – the Institute of National Remembrance reported on Tuesday on the website X.

“The number on the order allows you to identify the recipient. This is Captain Juliusz Roman Heinzel, a descendant of German manufacturers who made outstanding contributions to Łódź, a hero of the war against the Bolsheviks,” the entry explained.

He commanded one of the squadrons of the legendary 16th Greater Poland Uhlan Regiment. For his bravery on the battlefield, he was awarded the Silver Cross of the Military Order of Virtuti Militari, the Commemorative Medal for the War of 1918–1921 and the Medal of the Tenth Anniversary of Regained Independence.

“He returned to active military service in September 1939. Like thousands of other reserve officers, he was captured by the Soviets. In the spring of 1940, he was transported from the Starobielsk camp to Kharkov, murdered in the basement of the NKVD prison and buried near the village of Piatichatki. His fate was shared by approximately 3,800 Polish officers,” it was emphasized.

Captain Heinzel rests in the Cemetery of Victims of Totalitarianism in Kharkov, opened on June 17, 2000. “The condition of the order indicates that it was found during the search for crime victims. The Institute of National Remembrance protests against the morally reprehensible commercialization of one of the greatest Soviet crimes committed during World War II,” it was noted.

“We appeal to the owner of the order to hand over the priceless souvenir to the authorities of the Republic of Poland and to the portal administration to immediately end the auction. The place of priceless historical testimonies is in the collections of memory institutions. The memory of the victims cannot be the subject of trade. The photograph preserved in the collections of the Central Military Archives shows the decoration of Captain Heinzel,” added the IPN.

(PAP)

(we plan to continue the topic)

akn/ aszw/