Successful Russian–Hungarian War Grave Care Cooperation

The negotiations were attended by Y. A. Pilyaev, Director General, War Memorial Association “Voennie Memorialy", Katalin Lázár-Takács, Director General, MoD Public Relations Office (MoD PRO), Lajos Horváth, Director, MoD PRO War Memorial Care Directorate and special consultant Irina Havasi.

The participants assessed the activities and results so far, and – as a further step of cooperation – the representatives of the MoD PRO requested the specialists of Voennie Memorialy to make a tour of inspection of Russian war graves in Hungary. In addition, the working group reviewed the renovation works of a common Austrian–Hungarian–German–Turkish monument at the site of the POW camps in Skotovo and Spassk-Dalny (Syberia), and the authorization process of placing commemorative tablets related to other one-time POW camps.

During the visit paid between 14–17 June, the working group travelled to the 1st Central Hungarian Military Cemetery next to Boldirevka where 8735 Hungarian soldiers are buried, and then saw the renovation and development works ordered by Hungary in 2015 in the 2nd Central Hungarian Military Cemetery (Rudkino). Established 14 years ago, this cemetery is a deserved final resting place for Hungarian soldiers and forced laborers who fell or went missing in the battles fought by the River Don. So far, the mortal remains of 19,463 Hungarians were reburied in the graveyards. The names of 12,595 Hungarian soldiers and forced laborers as well as those of 51,518 Hungarian troops missing in action have so far been engraved on 1442 granite tablets placed in the area of the heroes’ cemetery.

On the last day of their visit, in the Rudkino Hungarian military cemetery, the staff members of the office attended a reburial ceremony of another 78 Hungarian soldiers whose remains had been exhumed between 2014 and 2016.