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Author: Marcin Dębiński | Publish date: 17 September 2026

87th anniversary of the Soviet Union's aggression against Poland

17 September 2026, Author: Marcin Dębiński

Today (17 September) the 87th anniversary of the Soviet Union's aggression against Poland was celebrated in Ełk. At 6:00 p.m., a Holy Mass was held in the Cathedral of St. Adalbert in Ełk, followed by flowers at the Monument to the Sign of the Martyrdom of the Polish Nation dedicated to the Memory of the Murdered, Fallen and Missing and the Victims of the 20th Century

17 September 1939 at dawn on the territory of Polish, struggling with German aggression, about 50 divisions of the Red Army invaded. The Soviet invasion, which in England was called a "backstab", resulted from the the desire to occupy the eastern territories of the Second Republic of Poland, in accordance with the division of spheres of influence in the secret protocol to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. Soviet aggression was violation of the Treaty of Riga of 1921, the Polish-Soviet Treaty on the non-aggression of 1934, as well as international agreements signed by Poland and USSR. The entry of Soviet troops finally paralyzed the resistance of the troops and caused the departure of the Polish authorities to Romania.

The celebrations in Ełk were attended by, m.in. Deputy Mayor of the City of Ełk Mirosław Hołubowicz, Chairman of the City Council of Ełk Michał Tyszkiewicz, as well as representatives of a number of municipal institutions and associations, who laid flowers at the Monument to the Sign of the Martyrdom of the Polish Nation dedicated to the Memory of the Murdered, Fallen and Missing and the Victims of the 20th Century.