Poland assesses damages from the USSR and prepares financial claims against Russia
18 February 02:45
Poland plans to demand reparations from Russia for the period when the country was under the influence of the USSR. On the instructions of Prime Minister Donald Tusk, a large-scale investigation into the so-called “historical crimes” of the Soviet regime has already begun. The country’s authorities are exploring the possibility of filing an international lawsuit and determining the amount of compensation, which could be one of the largest in European history. This was reported by the Financial Times, citing the leadership of the Jan Karski Institute for Military Losses, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
Poland investigates the consequences of Soviet influence
Bartosz Gondek, director of the Jan Karski Institute of Military Losses, said that the new investigation into Russia could be even more extensive than the investigation into Nazi crimes in Poland.
“The investigation into Russia will be more extensive than the work on Nazi crimes, because Poland was under Soviet influence for four decades of the Cold War,” Bartosz Gondek emphasized.
According to him, it is too early to talk about the exact amount of possible reparations, but Poland intends to assess all losses — economic, political, and social.
The period of socialism in Poland lasted from the end of World War II until 1989, when the country was under the influence of the USSR and had limited political sovereignty.
The Kremlin, which previously acknowledged responsibility for the Katyn massacre, has been promoting a different version of history since 2022 and has even made financial claims against Poland. In 2023, the then-chairman of the State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, said that Poland should pay Russia $750 billion for its “liberation” at the end of World War II. Last month, the head of the Russian Federal Archives, Andrei Artizov, said that research commissioned by Putin allegedly showed that Poland undermined Soviet attempts to cooperate with Britain and France against Germany. Warsaw denies this.
According to Jakub Stefaniak, a spokesman for Tusk’s office, Poland is only “at the beginning of this journey” of documenting Soviet crimes and at the same time has a last chance to collect eyewitness accounts, many of whom are already elderly.
In addition to war crimes, the institute will also assess Poland’s losses from population decline and the loss of eastern territories after 1945. The report is intended to reflect the long-term economic and social consequences of Soviet systemic domination during the Cold War.
Polish historians face serious difficulties
One of the main problems for Polish researchers is the lack of access to Russian archives, which contain important documents from the Soviet period.
“Work on the Soviet period is much more difficult because Polish historians do not have access to secret archives in Russia,” Gondek explained.
This makes it difficult to fully assess Poland’s economic and human losses during the period of Soviet control.
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Poland has already demanded €1.3 trillion from Germany
Poland has experience in making such demands. In 2022, Warsaw officially demanded €1.3 trillion in compensation from Germany for damages caused during World War II.
Gondek noted that it is too early to say whether the amount of claims against Moscow could exceed the amount claimed from Berlin in 2022.
Poland’s claim against Germany has not yet been settled and is controversial, particularly within the country. Berlin argues that the issue of reparations was legally closed after World War II. At the same time, the right-wing opposition party Law and Justice (PiS) accuses Tusk of not doing enough to force Germany to pay.
MEP Arkadiusz Mularczyk, who previously initiated the demands on Germany, said that the issue of compensation from Russia could be the next stage of historical claims.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki is also putting pressure on Berlin on the issue of reparations, saying that Germany has not yet paid them. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, despite refusing reparations, has taken a number of symbolic steps: he promised to create a Polish memorial in Berlin and return stolen Polish artifacts, emphasizing awareness of historical responsibility.
Possible consequences for Russia and international politics
If Poland files an official lawsuit and achieves international consideration, this could set a precedent for other countries in Central and Eastern Europe that were also under Soviet influence.
Experts note that even the mere fact of launching an investigation could have serious political consequences, increasing pressure on Russia in the international arena.
The issue of reparations remains complex from a legal standpoint, but Warsaw is demonstrating its willingness to take the case to international courts.
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