Overview
- Images posted on social media show the obelisk and a memorial wall at the Sovjet Ereveld daubed with red and black paint and explicit political slogans, in an attack that occurred on October 31.
- Police and Forensische Opsporing are conducting an active investigation that includes reading camera footage, and so far no suspects have been identified.
- A cleanup team began removing the graffiti early on November 1, and the foundation said this restoration should be quicker than the July incident because less of the site was damaged.
- This is the second major vandalism this year after July, when roughly 144 gravestones plus the obelisk and memorial wall were defaced and some cameras failed after a lightning strike, leaving investigators without suspects then.
- Remco Reiding, director of Stichting Sovjet Ereveld, called the desecration tragic and said the foundation is in talks with the municipalities of Leusden and Amersfoort about stepped-up protections that aim to prevent repeats while keeping the cemetery open to relatives and visitors.