The Polish "Katyn Massacre" Memorial site at Mednoye/Ymok, north of Tver, Russia.

The Polish "Katyn Massacre" Memorial site at Mednoye/Ymok, north of Tver, Russia.

There are about 40 images on this page [about 1.87MB], so please give it time to download properly.

The Polish memorial at Mednoye/Ymok is at the burial site of over 6000 Polish police, border guards and others.
Captured in 1939, these Poles were shot in the NKVD cellars in Tver by the Soviet NKVD on Stalin's orders in 1940, after being imprisoned at Ostashkov.
The massacre and consequent burial site was finally admitted and disclosed by the USSR in April 1990, after 50 years shameful denial of the truth.
The Polish mass graves, created here and at Kharkov by the NKVD in 1940 [also admitted and disclosed by the USSR in 1990], were partially exhumed in 1991. The events which created these three sites of Polish dead are usually referred to as the "Katyn forest massacre".
This is because, in 1942/3, the Nazis found and exhumed eight Polish mass graves in Katyn forest, near Smolensk in Russia. It suited both the Soviets and the Nazis, for very different reasons, to pretend all the known missing Polish prisoners of war held by the Soviets in 1940 were buried in Katyn forest [over 25,000 officers, ncos, border guards, policemen and others].
After 1945 only the Soviets and their fellow-travellers pretended all the missing Poles were in Katyn forest graves. However, it took until 1990 for the Soviets to finally admit the other long suspected grave sites, and permit very limited exhumations under KGB/FSB control.
To this day there are diehards, Russians and others, who still say the Polish dead were all shot by the Nazis, and blamed on the Soviets; all evidence, including documents relating to the massacre, was fabricated to discredit the Soviet Union and the Communist Party. These deluded individuals have never explained how the Poles, held prisoner in Ostashkov by the Soviets in 1940 and found buried in Mednoyne/Tver in 1991, were captured and shot by the Nazis who never held those parts of Russia at any time during WW2.

It is my understanding that the Soviets, and subsequently the Russian government, failed or omitted to cooperate with the Poles as agreed to build the Polish memorials now at the three sites. Apparently Russia also still owes Poland for the cost of building associated Russian memorials to Russian victims of Soviet repression, shot and buried at the same sites by the NKVD.

The Polish Graveyard at Miednoje in Russia, was built by Poles and is run by Poles, who care for its maintenance according to an agreement beetwen Polish and Russian authorities.

Iwona Sulkowska runs a website for The Polish Police Family 1939 Association, which was instrumental in establishing this Mednoye/Ymok memorial site and periodically holds services there.

Below the Polish section on this page there are some photos of the Russian memorial to those Russians and other nationalities killed in the Tver region by the deadly mix of Stalin, "Soviet Power", Communism and the NKVD.
The Russian memorial is near the Polish memorial complex.

The copyright of these images remains the property of the suppliers of the photos posted on this page.

1. Znak drogowy w wiosce Ymok.
Directions in Ymok village showing how to get to the Polish cemetery.

2.Tablica informujaca o polozeniu Polskiego Cmentarza Wojennego w Miednoje.
"Government memorial complex-Mednoye."

3. Tablica informujaca o wejsciu na Polski Cmentarz Wojenny w Miednoje ( otwarty 2 wrzesnia 2000r., wybudowany staraniem i ze srodków Rady Ochrony Walk i Meczenstwa ).
Directions to the Polish cemetery opened 2 September 2000, in Polish.

4. Mapa z oznaczeniami cmentarzy polskiego i rosyjskiego.
A map of the memorial complex.

5. Brama wejsciowa na Polski Cmentarz Wojenny .
The main entrance gateway to the Polish cemetery.

7. Polski orzel na jednym z dwóch obelisków z godlem Polski, umieszczonych przy glównym wejsciu.
Detail of the Polish eagle, from the gateposts shown above.

8. Sciana z nazwiskami zamordowanych policjantów, 9-metrowy krzyz i oltarz.
An altar and 9 metre cross in front of the wall listing the surnames of the murdered policemen buried at Mednoye.

9. Wience przy scianie.
Commemorative wreaths.

10. Tablica upamietniajaca uroczystosc wmurowania kamienia wegielnego pod budowe cmentarza ( 1995r.).
A dedication tablet laid as a foundation marker in 1995.

11. Tablica dedykacyjna.
A dedication plaque giving information about this tragedy.

14. Dzwon podziemny uzywany w czasie uroczystosci religijnych.
Underground bell used at times of religious solemnity.

15. Zblizenie na sciane z nazwiskami zamordowanych policjantów.
Section of the memorial wall listing the names of the murdered policemen.

16. Fragmenty alei wzdluz których umieszczono 6296 tabliczek inskrypcyjnych z danymi osobowymi zamordowanych policjantów.
Personal data about the murdered policemen on 6296 tables laid by a pathway.

17. Fragmenty alei wzdluz których umieszczono 6296 tabliczek inskrypcyjnych z danymi osobowymi zamordowanych policjantów.
Personal data about the murdered policemen on 6296 tables laid by a pathway.

18. Fragmenty alei wzdluz których umieszczono 6296 tabliczek inskrypcyjnych z danymi osobowymi zamordowanych policjantów.
Personal data about the murdered policemen on 6296 tables laid by a pathway.

19. Drewniane krzyze dla upamietnienia zamordowanych policjantów.
Wood crosses for commemorating murdered policeman.

20. Drewniane krzyze dla upamietnienia zamordowanych policjantów.
Wood crosses commemorating murdered policeman.

21. Drewniane krzyze dla upamietnienia zamordowanych policjantów.
Wood crosses commemorating murdered policeman.

22. Drewniane krzyze dla upamietnienia zamordowanych policjantów.
Wood crosses commemorating murdered policeman.

23. Widok na zeliwne 8-metrowe krzyze wzniesione w miejscach 25-ciu zbiorowych mogil zamordowanych policjantów.
View of 25 8m crosses erected in memorial to the murdered policemen.

24. Widok na zeliwne 8-metrowe krzyze wzniesione w miejscach 25-ciu zbiorowych mogil zamordowanych policjantów.
View of 25 8m crosses erected in memorial to the murdered policemen.