A souvenir from Katyn at an auction in Ukraine? IPN was outraged, but did not check the facts

The case began with information about the sale of the Order of Virtuti Militari with an assigned number. After verification in the files, it was established that it belonged to Captain Juliusz Roman Heinzl – an lan, a hero of the war with the Bolsheviks and a victim of the Katyn crime.

The outrage was immediate. It is hardly surprising the reaction at the sight of such a decoration displayed "between an old iron and a set of used tractor tires". The case quickly gained publicity.

However, there was a turn of events. The captain's family reported that the original order was in their possession. This means that the item from the auction was most likely a forger or the so-called secondary, i.e. a copy.

The whole situation is part of a familiar mechanism – the use of strong emotions to evoke sensations and attract attention. "A classic leap for collectors' cash registers dressed in the robes of historical sensation".

Before the matter was clarified, a wave of comments and accusations appeared online, which quickly began to live their own lives. This shows how easily unverified information can be exploited and increase tensions.

The conclusion is simple: only anger was real, and all the rest is cynical manipulation. It is worth being careful and verifying information, especially when it arouses strong emotions.