WARSAW, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Poland commemorated the 80th anniversary of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising on Tuesday, with President Andrzej Duda hailing the insurrection as a pivotal moment in the nation's fight for independence.
Duda described the event as "one of the fundamental milestones of our freedom and our independence" and "something unprecedented in history" during a ceremony at the Warsaw Uprising Museum.
At the ceremony, Duda and Warsaw's Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski met with a few dozen insurgents who participated in the uprising 80 years ago.
The Warsaw Uprising, which broke out on Aug. 1, 1944, was the largest underground military operation in German-occupied Europe. Around 40,000-50,000 insurgents fought over two months, resulting in the deaths of approximately 18,000 insurgents and up to 180,000 civilians. After the uprising was crushed, about 500,000 residents were expelled from the city, and Warsaw was almost completely razed to the ground. ■