Russia's envoy to NATO: how many Soviet soldiers did Poland's foreign minister murder?
Actions of Dmitry Rogozin, Russia's permanent representative at NATO, are considered a provocation in Poland. Such was the reaction on the Facebook entry Dmitry Rogozin made about Radosław Sikorski, Poland's foreign minister. On his social network page Rogizin published photographs of Sikorski dating from 1980s, when the current foreign minister worked in Afghanistan as a foreign correspondent for the Spectator and the Observer - from the side of Afghan mujahedeen who then were fighting USSR forces. Dmitry Rogozin accompanied photographs of the Polish foreign minister, who is armed and dressed up like a mujahid, with a commentary: "This is Sikorski, Poland's foreign minister. Year 1987. I wonder how many of our boys did he kill?" Numerous Russian speaking users of the social network reacted to the post both condemning Sikorski's actions and branding him with a variety of insults.
Sikorski likes to remember the times he spent in Afghanistan. For example he wrote :"You need a Kalashnikov, - he suddenly asked? The decision was uneasy one. I was a journalist, not a soldier, and should not have taken up arms, but what good comes from all those conventions if the enemy does not honor any agreements? I was grateful for my Kalashnikov. The weapon's metal was not yet worn out and it wasn't yet covered with Arabic inscriptions though a green adhesive tape was glued around it. I learned how to shoot a Kalashnikov a year ago. I learned how to take an aim, how to clean my weapon - in short I learned everything I had to. Not for a second did I have any doubts about using this weapon. At any moment we could have come upon those professional killers, Soviet paratroopers or special forces soldiers. Their task was to make ambushes in the enemy terrain, these assignments were never given to conscripts. If I did not fall prey to those "specialists", I would have killed any of those bandits without any qualms. Conscripts are a different story. Most of them were good guys, frightened by own commanders. I got to know quite a few of them. Soon we had to attack Soviet barracks. Words that I wrote in my diary in a few months' time, like "if I shall perish " or "if I survive until tomorrow", may appear funny. But now it was not funny. We are going to attack the post and bullets will fly. Most likely some of us will die. A Kalashnikov rests on my lap. The weapon assured me. This was war and I had a weapon. There was a candy bar in one of my pockets. A hand grenade in another. A water flask dangled against my thigh. With respect I cleaned the barrel of my weapon. As of my belt, it was never tight. My ammunition bag contained 6 magazines, each holding thirty rounds. Another magazine was loaded in the assault rifle. During attack on the barracks that night I fired three magazines (90 rounds) but then, as I understood, everything in vain - the bullets just broke crumbs off the surface of stone plate (Translation from the Lithuanian Courier, August 4)
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In the interview to Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita, chairman of the Commission on Foreign Affairs of the Polish Sejm, Andrzej Halicki made a comment about Facebook discussion: "By definition Facebook or Twitter entries are not something very important but Rogozin's actions are plain stupid. I can even call them a provocation. However I don't believe they would affect Russo-Polish relations in any way.
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