The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation and the Smolensk Disaster Commemoration Committee gathered to remember the victims of the Katyn Forest Massacre on April 25 at the Victims of Communism Museum.
In the spring of 1940, nearly 22,000 Polish people, mostly intelligentsia and high-ranking Polish soldiers, officers, and officials, were murdered by the Soviets in the Katyn Forest. The Kremlin attempted to cover up their bloody actions, but their crimes live on in history.
This event explored the roots of Russia’s modern-day authoritarianism, examining both Moscow’s tsarist and communist legacy, as well as the connection to Putin’s ongoing war in Ukraine.
The event was organized by the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation in partnership with the Smolensk Disaster Commemoration Committee and supported by the Polish National Foundation and Polish & Slavic Federal Credit Union.
Explore the panel topics and photos below:
Welcome Remarks
Ken Pope, Chief Executive Officer, Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation
Opening Remarks
Ambassador Aldona Woś, M.D., Trustee, Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, and President, Institute of World Politics
Tadeusz Antoniak, Chairman, Smolensk Disaster Commemoration Committee (SDCC) on 83rd Anniversary of Katyn Massacre and 13th Anniversary of Smolensk Disaster
Appeal of Remembrance and Moment of Silence
Aneta Antoniak, Member of the Smolensk Disaster Commemoration Committee (SDCC)
Katyn Massacre and Its Historical Importance Today
H.E. Māris Selga, Ambassador of the Republic of Latvia to the United States of America
H.E. Audra Plepytė, Ambassador of the Republic of Lithuania to the United States of America
Adam Krzywosądzki, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Republic of Poland to the United States of America
Yaroslav Brisiuck, Deputy Chief of Mission of Ukraine to the United States of America
Denis Baranov, Representative of Belarusian Community in Washington, D.C.
Remembering the Victims of Smolensk Disaster
Senior Marshal Antoni Macierewicz, Member of Parliament of the Republic of Poland
Panel Discussion: Remembering the Katyn Massacre
Dr. Marek Jan Chodakiewicz, Ph.D., Professor of History, Institute of World Politics
Filip Frąckowiak, Chairman of General Kuklinski Cold War Museum in Warsaw and General Kuklinski Institute of America
Karol Polejowski, Ph.D., D.Sc., Deputy President, the National Institute of Remembrance in Poland
Moderator: Ambassador Andrew Bremberg, President, Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation
Musical Performance
Paweł Piekarczyk, Polish Artist
