Tsikhanouskaya Backs Initiative to Install White-Red-White Flag at Grunwald Battlefield

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has backed a civic initiative to install the white-red-white flag at the Grunwald battlefield. A corresponding petition was recently launched and Belarusians were invited to sign it.

As Tsikhanouskaya’s Office reported, she sent letters to the marshal of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship and the management of the Museum of the Battle of Grunwald, asking them to consider installing a white-red-white flag at the battlefield. In her appeal, Tsikhanouskaya noted that the Battle of Grunwald is a shared heritage of Poles, Belarusians, Lithuanians, Ukrainians and other peoples who defended freedom together. For Belarusians, it is one of the key dates in national history, while the white-red-white flag symbolises the historical continuity of Belarusian statehood and the modern struggle for freedom.

«Every year, hundreds of Belarusians come to the Grunwald battlefield to commemorate this victory. Unfortunately, in Belarus itself, the authorities are deliberately erasing the memory of the Battle of Grunwald and replacing it with Russian historical narratives. That is why it is so important to preserve this place as a symbol of our shared European history», Tsikhanouskaya said.

Tsikhanouskaya’s Office acknowledged that the project was unlikely to be implemented this year but said it hoped local authorities and organisers would support the initiative when preparing for the next anniversary of the Battle of Grunwald. The flags of Poland and Lithuania are currently displayed at the battlefield.

The Battle of Grunwald took place on July 15, 1410. Allied forces of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania inflicted a decisive defeat on the Teutonic Order.