Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has sent letters to the Marshal of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Marcin Kuchciński, and the management of the Grunwald Battle Museum, asking them to consider raising the historic white-red-white Belarusian flag at the Grunwald Battlefield. In doing so, she expressed support for the civic initiative launched by Belarusians that has already gathered more than a thousand signatures from Belarusian politicians, cultural and public figures, historians, and activists.
In her letter, Ms. Tsikhanouskaya noted that the Battle of Grunwald is a shared legacy of Poles, Belarusians, Lithuanians, Ukrainians, and other peoples who fought together to defend freedom. For Belarusians, it is one of the defining events of the nation’s history, while the white-red-white flag symbolises the historical continuity of Belarusian statehood and the country’s modern struggle for freedom.
“Every year, hundreds of Belarusians come to the Grunwald Battlefield to honor this victory. Unfortunately, in Belarus itself, the authorities are deliberately erasing the memory of the Battle of Grunwald and replacing it with Russian historical narratives. That is why it is so important to preserve this site as a symbol of our shared European history”, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya wrote in the letter.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office recognizes that it is now practically impossible to implement this initiative in time for this year’s commemorations. However, it hopes that the local authorities and organisers will consider the proposal when preparing for future anniversaries of the Battle of Grunwald.
