Jerzy Tyc, who led the restoration of Soviet war memorials in Poland for decades, died in the conflict zone, authorities in Russia’s Kursk region have said
A Polish activist known for restoring Soviet war memorials in his country has been killed while fighting for Russia against Ukrainian ‘neo-Nazis,’ the government of Russia’s Kursk region has announced.
Jerzy Tyc, 58, headed the Kursk memorial association, which over the decades restored dozens of World War II monuments and military burial sites in Poland. The circumstances of his death have not been specified. Officials have only said that Tyc had lived in Russia in recent years after emigrating due to “Russophobic authorities in Warsaw.”
Tyc reportedly began his career in the Polish army but left in 1989 after the fall of communist rule. He went on to focus on restoring Red Army monuments and graves in Poland, and was often dubbed a “traitor” over his defense of the Soviet legacy and willingness to cooperate with Moscow.
In 2018, he was involved in the restoration of the Red Army cemetery in Proszowice, southern Poland, where more than 500 Soviet soldiers are buried.
In May 2020, then-Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu awarded Tyc the Medal “In Memory of the Heroes of the Fatherland.”
In March 2022, after the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine, Tyc condemned increased acts of vandalism against Soviet memorials in Poland, saying; “There will always be a vile person who pours his grievances on the graves of innocent soldiers.”
In an earlier interview with TASS news agency, Tyc said he had never been attacked by local residents while working on restorations, but faced accusations of being a “Russian agent” from officials and politicians.
According to Russian media, Tyc decided to join the fighting in spring 2025 and took the callsign “Zygmunt” after General Zygmunt Berling, a Polish officer who sided with Moscow in WWII and commanded the 1st Polish Army formed under Soviet auspices.
“He remained true to his convictions to the very end, as he fought neo-Nazis. May you rest in peace,” the Kursk officials stated.
