Bill for Soviet crimes: Poland prepares lawsuit against Russia for reparations

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Bartosz Gondek, director of the Polish Institute of Military Losses, was tasked by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk with investigating historical Russian crimes. According to him, the investigation will be more extensive than compiling a report on Nazi atrocities.

He emphasized that this is due to Poland being under Soviet influence for more than four additional decades during the Cold War.

How much Warsaw wants to receive from Moscow

According to Gondek, it is currently unclear whether the amount of compensation from Moscow will exceed what Poland seeks from Germany for Nazi crimes (€1.3 trillion).

He also noted that a team of ten Polish historians and researchers has faced greater obstacles than when calculating claims against Germany. In particular, this is due to limited access to Russian archives, as well as "documents falsified or destroyed during Soviet times."

Additionally, the Polish Institute of Military Losses will determine the cost to the country of losing part of its population and eastern territories after 1945. This involves assessing the economic and social consequences of "Soviet systemic supremacy" during the Cold War.

Poland’s claims against Germany

In September 2022, the Polish Sejm adopted a resolution calling on Germany to assume "political, historical, legal, and financial responsibility" for all consequences of World War II.

The resolution states that Poland has never officially renounced its claims, and such assertions "have no moral or legal basis."

Furthermore, the Sejm emphasized that Poland did not receive compensation from the USSR and that losses must be assessed for further action against Russia. The country published a report estimating its losses from Germany at 6.2 trillion zlotys (approximately €1.3 trillion).