Memorial cross in honor of Gulag prisoners from Poland demolished in Vorkuta
The initial report of the incident with the memorial cross appeared on one of the regional Telegram channels on September 26. Then, a 7x7 journalist who had visited the memorial site in the town of Rudnik, verified the information. Unidentified individuals had indeed destroyed the foundation of the concrete cross.
Vorkuta's mayor's office was unable to comment on the situation, requesting that inquiries be submitted in writing. It remains unclear whether the memorial was within the city administration’s responsibility.
The memorial cross was established in Rudnik in 1997. This location housed the first mines and prison camps in the area. The project received financial support from the Council for the Protection of the Memory of the Struggle and Martyrdom in Warsaw, the Union of Ex-Prisoners and Veterans of the Armia Krajowa, the Vorkuta Mayor's Office, and local entrepreneurs. The control over the project was executed by Vitaly Troshin, the former chief architect of the city.
The police have refused to open a criminal investigation, claiming that the cross had fallen because of adverse weather conditions.
"The monument shows no signs of external impact; its structural failure can be attributed solely to adverse weather conditions, precluding human involvement," stated the police.
With the outbreak of the war, various regions have been destroying memorials dedicated to foreign nationals repressed during the Soviet era. As the culprits behind these acts remain unidentified, “Memorial” researchers have suggested that regional authorities may be complicit.