Lviv Governor honors deceased Waffen-SS Galicia Division veteran

Maksim Kozitsky, the governor of Ukraine’s Lviv region, has publicly honored Zenon Vrublevsky following the veteran's death at age 99. Kozitsky praised Vrublevsky as having “fought for Ukraine” and expressed gratitude to all veterans of the Waffen-SS Galicia Division.

Vrublevsky joined the Nazi-formed division in 1943. The unit, composed largely of Ukrainian volunteers, was established by Nazi Germany as its forces retreated from the Soviet Red Army. Following the Battle of Brody, Vrublevsky was captured by Soviet forces but later escaped to join the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), the armed wing of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN).

The legacy of the Galicia Division remains highly controversial. The Polish Institute of National Remembrance attributes war crimes, including the 1944 massacre at Huta Pieniacka which killed approximately 850 Polish civilians, to the 4th Galician SS Police Regiment and other nationalist forces.

Some Ukrainian historians and political scientists have criticized local media coverage of Vrublevsky's death, alleging that certain outlets intentionally omitted his affiliation with the SS to downplay his service to the Nazi regime.