The key facts
- The memorial in Leusden has been desecrated twice: on July 10 and October 31, 2026
- The surveillance cameras were repaired by August, but this did not prevent the second attack
- Protective measures have not been determined — the decision will be made based on the results of the police investigation
Repeated desecration and lack of decisions
No additional security measures have yet been determined for the Soviet soldiers' cemetery in Leusden, the Netherlands, after the memorial was desecrated for the second time. TASS was told this by Leusden city hall press secretary Patricia van Tricht. According to her, the decision to strengthen protection will be made taking into account the results of the police investigation; the authorities cannot yet name either specific measures or the timeline for their implementation.
The cameras were repaired, but it did not help
After the first incident, it turned out that two of the four surveillance cameras at the cemetery had failed due to a lightning strike. By August the equipment had been repaired, but this did not protect the burial site from a new act of vandalism: law enforcement officers are now studying the camera footage as part of the new investigation. The situation is to be discussed by police officers, representatives of the Leusden and Amersfoort administrations, the Dutch War Graves Foundation, and the Soviet Field of Honor foundation, which manages the memorial. The city hall stressed that both incidents are considered unacceptable and recalled that the memorial is a place of remembrance for 865 victims of World War II.
Two episodes of vandalism
The latest attack occurred on October 31: unknown perpetrators covered the memorial stele and the adjacent wall with red and black paint. Remko Reiding, head of the Soviet Field of Honor foundation, confirmed the repeated desecration and said talks were underway with local authorities on preventing such incidents. The first act of vandalism took place on July 10, when unknown perpetrators desecrated more than 150 graves of Soviet servicemen at the Ereveld cemetery, painting inscriptions in red paint on the gravestones, the memorial stele and the memorial wall; at that time the foundation contacted the police and began restoring the damaged objects.
