Polish Deputy Prime Minister Wrote A Letter To Ukrainians Because Of The UPA
- 5.06.2026, 19:59
Polish Defense Minister urged the Ukrainian authorities to honor modern heroes.
Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysh has written a letter to the Ukrainian people in which he urged the Ukrainian authorities to reconsider the decision regarding the AFU unit in honor of the UPA.
This is reported by "Radio Liberty".
In his address, Poland's deputy prime minister said he understood the need of Ukrainians for "symbols of resistance, courage and indestructibility" against the background of the war with Russia.
"But for Poles, the UPA is not a neutral symbol of the struggle for freedom. For Poles it is first of all a symbol of crimes committed against defenseless civilians," the letter said.
Kosiniak-Kamysh urged not to make patrons of state formations figures who "wound Polish memory" and are capable of destabilizing relations between allies.
The defense minister suggested that the Ukrainian authorities pay attention to the current warriors who oppose Russian aggression on the front lines.
"Today's Ukraine has its own heroes. It has warriors who are fighting near Kharkiv, Zaporizhia, in the Donbass and defending the Ukrainian sky. It is they who are writing their own big page of history," Kosiniak-Kamysh emphasized.
He added that Warsaw does not require Kiev to renounce its own history. At the same time, the Polish minister added that Poland expects to understand that "there are symbols", the use of which interferes with the preservation of trust between states.
We will recall that on May 26, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky signed a decree naming the Separate Center for Special Operations "North" "named after the Heroes of the UPA". Such a decision was taken for high results in the performance of combat tasks.
In response, Polish President Karol Nawrocki said that he did not rule out the possibility of depriving Zelensky of the country's highest state award.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry explained that Kiev did not intend to insult Polish society. It noted that for Ukrainians, the UPA is first and foremost a symbol of the struggle against Russian imperial policy and occupation.
Despite this, there have been calls in Poland to block Ukraine's European integration because of the decision on the UPA. In addition, Lublin authorities dismantled the Ukrainian flag from the city hall building, which was displayed back in 2022 as a sign of support for Ukraine.