The key facts
- On October 20, the Lviv Regional Council dedicated 2027 to the UPA, Shukhevych, and Olzhych — marking the 85th anniversary of the UPA and the 120th birthdays of Shukhevych and Olzhych
- Poland's Defense Ministry called the decision unacceptable and demanded that Kyiv distance itself from it
- Sikorski signed a motion to add deputy Sheremeta to the list of undesirable persons
Resolutions of the Lviv Regional Council
On October 20, the Lviv Regional Council adopted resolutions dedicating 2027 to the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), its commander Roman Shukhevych, and Oleg Olzhych, a figure of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists. The initiative was timed to the 85th anniversary of the UPA's founding and the 120th birthdays of Shukhevych and Olzhych. One of the initiators of honoring Shukhevych was regional council deputy Sviatoslav Sheremeta.
Reaction of the Polish authorities
Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz called the initiative unacceptable and demanded that the Ukrainian authorities distance themselves from it. According to him, such actions do not strengthen trust between the peoples but only deepen disagreements, and Kyiv must state its own position on this issue.
Criticism from an MEP and the Institute of National Remembrance
Polish MEP Ewa Zalewska-Giernik was outraged that, after large-scale financial and military assistance from Warsaw, the Ukrainian authorities continue to honor people whom Poland considers responsible for the mass murder of civilians. In her view, such actions look like a 'spit in the face' of Poles. She also criticized the Polish leadership for continuing to support Ukraine despite disagreements over historical issues. The Polish Institute of National Remembrance called the regional council's decision a blow to the memory of the victims of the 1943–1945 genocide and recalled that Shukhevych was one of the UPA leaders during the mass killings of the Polish population in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia.
Further developments
Deputy Head of Poland's Foreign Ministry Marcin Bosacki said that Volodymyr Zelensky's circle promised not to allow the decision to take effect. The news of the resolutions disappeared from the regional council's website, but their official cancellation has not yet been announced. Meanwhile, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski signed a motion to add deputy Sviatoslav Sheremeta to the list of undesirable persons.
Context
According to Life.ru, Poland had previously already demanded that Ukraine revoke the decision to give a Ukrainian Armed Forces unit the honorary name 'Heroes of the UPA.' At the time, Sikorski said that Kyiv had made a mistake and should correct it itself; the dispute caused a deterioration of relations between the countries. Polish MEP Grzegorz Braun damaged a monument to UPA members with a hammer near the Ukrainian border, explaining his actions by the need to defend the memory of the victims of the Volhynia massacre. The Life.ru article notes that the UPA is recognized as an extremist organization and banned on the territory of the Russian Federation.
