Poland and Ukraine dispute UPA legacy amid EU criticism
Ukrainian ambassador Wasyl Bodnar, who is about to become Ukraine's deputy foreign minister, told Polish media that members of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) committed crimes against Poles, but he also said that Polish underground groups carried out similarly criminal acts. He linked the controversy to President Volodymyr Zelensky’s decision to name a Ukrainian special‑operations unit after the “Heroes of UPA,” a move that sparked outrage in Poland.
Polish officials, including Prime Minister Donald Tusk and National Security Office chief Bartosz Grodecki, condemned the naming as a disregard for Polish wartime suffering and warned it could damage neighbourly relations. The European Parliament voted to reprimand Ukraine for the decision, stating it ignored Polish sensitivity and grief. Meanwhile, the European Commission, which has been urging Poland to respect rule‑of‑law standards, has not responded to a Polish inquiry about the UPA issue.
Bodnar acknowledged the diplomatic strain, describing the current crisis in Polish‑Ukrainian relations as one of the most powerful challenges and calling for dialogue at both political and societal levels. He also hinted at forthcoming exhumations of war victims to address historical grievances.
Entities: Donald Tusk · European Parliament · Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs · Polish National Security Bureau · Stepan Bandera · Sławomir Cenckiewicz · Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) · Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs · Volodymyr Zelensky · Volodymyr Zelenskyy · Wasyl Bodnar
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Anti‑Ukrainian sentiment in Poland has led to verbal and physical attacks on Ukrainians. (Ukrainian ambassador Wasyl Bodnar)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs protested the naming of the unit “Heroes of UPA”. (Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Polish underground groups also carried out comparable crimes. (Ukrainian ambassador Wasyl Bodnar)
- [● 2 SOURCES] The European Parliament criticised the decision to name the unit “Heroes of UPA”. (European Parliament)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The recent diplomatic tension does not concern the UPA but Ukraine's sovereign right to make decisions about historical symbols. (Ukrainian ambassador Wasyl Bodnar)
- [● 2 SOURCES] Wasyl Bodnar will become Ukraine’s deputy foreign minister. (Ukrainian government)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Members of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) committed crimes against Poles. (Ukrainian ambassador Wasyl Bodnar)
- [● 3 SOURCES] President Volodymyr Zelenskyy named a Ukrainian military unit “Heroes of UPA”. (Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy)