Polish and Russian PMs will mark Katyn Anniversary Together

Polish and Russian PMs will mark Katyn Anniversary Together

Brian Brivati: Putin to Visit Katyn

A simple news item just appeared in my inbox. I had to take a double take. Polish leaders have visited the site privately. But now Putin will be there with his Polish counterpart. After the recent results in the Ukrainian elections, I have heard talk of a move on the Holodomor.

Let us take this at face value for a moment and walk through the next few steps. An acceptance of the nature of these events as an act of genocide at Katyn and of sustained genocide in Ukraine. This was done in a context so that it does not undermine modern Russia or modern Russian leaders. But as the West comes to terms with its crimes of its own racist and Imperialist past, of course, imperfectly but demonstrably, so Russia looks Stalin in the eye and says: that was then. A symbolic step on the road to making these events history by recognizing the meaning of their history.

Armenians and Turkey take note: the world is moving towards an understanding and reconciliation on these issues. Putin has made a move. Who will follow?