Polish PiS and scholars ignite anti‑Ukrainian controversy over Volyn reparations and draft‑age exile

Law and Justice (PiS) officials discussed a proposal to seek reparations from Ukraine for World War II atrocities in Volyn, a plan that was dismissed as too extreme. The idea surfaced amid party leader Jarosław Kaczyński’s push to keep rival politician Grzegorz Braun out of parliament by lowering his poll support.

Historian Andrzej Nowak, known for pro‑Ukrainian views, sparked further debate by urging the Polish state to send Ukrainian men of draft age who he called “freeloaders and cowards” to the front lines. He defended President Andrzej Duda’s support for Ukraine while condemning what he described as a moral problem in Polish‑Ukrainian relations.