The key facts
- In October, the Lviv Regional Council declared 2027 the year of the UPA, Roman Shukhevych and Oleg Olzhych.
- Polish Defense Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz called the decision unacceptable and urged the Ukrainian authorities to distance themselves from it.
- Earlier, he stated that Ukraine would not join the EU 'with Bandera on the flag'.
Warsaw's Reaction
Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz called 'unacceptable' the decision of the Lviv Regional Council to proclaim 2027 the year of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) and Roman Shukhevych, in a post on the social network X. According to him, such a decision does not contribute to building mutual trust between peoples, but on the contrary, deepens the division. The minister added that the Ukrainian authorities should distance themselves from this position.
Decision of the Lviv Regional Council
In October, the Lviv Regional Council declared 2027 the year of Roman Shukhevych, the UPA and Oleg Olzhych, a figure of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN). The UPA and OUN are banned in Russia.
Context
In July, Kosiniak-Kamysz noted that Ukraine would not join the European Union 'with Bandera on the flag.' In August, the Tver Court of Moscow recognized Stepan Bandera and Roman Shukhevych as accomplices of Nazi Germany in crimes against the Soviet people during the Great Patriotic War. Also, in early June it was reported that Ukraine plans to create a 'national pantheon' with 'military figures of the past,' including Bandera.
