At the beginning of the 20th century, a group of Polish settlers came here voluntarily, looking for a good place to live and farm. They founded the Polish village of Braiłowka. In 1937, the village population was hit by the persecution of the Stalinist regime - 28 Polish families (men, women, children and old people) were arrested in one night. Some of them were soon shot. The dead were buried in the village cemetery. Further arrests of Poles took place in 1938, and after the Second World War, the inhabitants were forcibly resettled, liquidating the village.
In 2004, with the permission of the district authorities, and with the support and funding of the Polish Consulate, a monument was unveiled to honour the Poles, the founders of the now defunct village of Braiłowka. The Polish association "Czerwone Maki" was the initiator of its erection. The inscription refers only indirectly to the tragic events of 1937 and reads: "To the Poles-settlers who were the founders of the village of Braiłowka at the beginning of the 20th century. Your tragic fate will remain forever in our memory. Compatriots."

Compiled by T. Zachara / MKiDN, VIII 2025