The sisters’ story is a poignant testament to the atrocities of war. In 1941, their father, Kazimierz, was called to the front, and their mother, Anna, unable to provide care for them, placed the children in an orphanage in Izyum, Ukraine. Soon, due to Nazi bombing, the children from the orphanage were evacuated to Uzbekistan. There, Taisiya and Żanna found new homes.

Ten-year-old Taisiya ended up with an Uzbek family in the village of Kuli Odina. Years later, she recalled with gratitude: “Kindness, empathy and mercy are values that unite the Uzbek people. I will always be grateful for their hospitality and help.” Although the family later lived to have children of their own, Taisiya was always treated as a daughter. Zhanna, on the other hand, was taken in by another Uzbek family and grew up in the village of Tezguzar, where she later became a teacher. After many years of separation, the sisters met again – it was one of the most moving events of their lives.

Prof. Śleszyński’s visit was part of broader cooperation of the Polish-Uzbek Historical Commission, established in 2023 at the Sybir Memorial Museum. The commission supports the activities of Polish and Uzbek researchers in researching their shared history, particularly the fate of Poles deported by the Soviets to Uzbekistan. As Prof. Wojciech Sleszynski emphasizes:

“Uzbekistan contains a huge amount of documents concerning Poles. This is where the units of the Anders Army were formed. Thanks to the signed agreements, we are obtaining previously unknown materials, which allows us to actively iresearch the fate of those who ended up in Uzbekistan. Their descendants in Poland are waiting for this information.”

Tomorrow there will be an official ceremony at the Sybir Memorial Museum launching a website about Polish cemeteries in Uzbekistan, which was also created as part of the work of the Polish-Uzbekistan Historical Commission.