The removal of the memorial to General Ivan Chernyakhovsky began on September 17 in the northern town of Pieniezno, where the general died of wounds in 1945.

Local authorities argue he symbolizes the foisting of communism on Poland.

For Russia, Chernyakhovsky is a national hero.

Russia’s embassy in Warsaw on September 18 issued a statement saying that Russia had “warned the Polish side many times” that removing such monuments “may not remain without the most serious consequences.”

http://www.rferl.org/content/russia-warns-poland-chernyakovsky-monument/27255953.html