The families of Polish officers shot in Kharkov in the spring of 1940, today, June 9, honored the memory of the deceased relatives at the Memorial to the victims of totalitarianism in the Forest Park.

Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland Petr Glinsky, Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine Pavel Rozenko, Deputy Mayor of Kharkov Svetlana Gorbunova-Ruban, Polish military servicemen and about 80 representatives of the families of the dead Polish officers took part in the memorial meeting.

The meeting was addressed by the Deputy Prime Minister of Poland Petr Glinsky, who recalled the tragic events of the spring of 1940 and named the names of the Polish officers who were shot and buried at the Kharkov memorial. In turn, Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Pavel Rozenko noted that in addition to Polish servicemen thousands of peaceful Soviet citizens who fell victims of political repressions.

"This place is sprinkled with innocent blood of Ukrainians and Poles, it is sacred to us and is the place of our shared historical memory. The executions of Polish prisoners of war were conducted without a single court and investigation. In fact, the events in Kharkiv in the spring of 1940 can be placed on a par with the crimes of NKVD officers in Katyn. Poland and Ukraine have an equally heavy heritage of the totalitarian communist regime. And only joint measures to honor the victims of totalitarian repression and joint research on all historical issues will help to avoid these bloody pages of history in the future, "stressed the Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine.

Vice Mayor Svetlana Gorbunova-Ruban also noted that the memory of those terrible tragedies will forever remain in the hearts of both Ukrainians and Poles.

"There was a time that laid these innocent people in the graves. So the place is very sad. And the fact that the Polish delegation came to the Kharkov memorial, does it honor. They remember about their countrymen who were shot in Kharkov and buried here. And they urge us to remember this, "- said Svetlana Gorbunova-Ruban.

Representatives of the Polish and Ukrainian sides paid tribute to the memory of the dead compatriots by a minute of silence. As a token of memory of the victims of totalitarian repression, a three-volle volley was heard from the automatic weapons of Polish soldiers. Participants of the rally laid flowers to the memorial from the Ukrainian and Polish sides.

After the official part of the ceremony, the clergy held a public prayer in memory of the victims of political repressions.