Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has called for de-escalation following public outcry in Poland over Ukraine’s decision to name a military unit after the “Heroes of the UPA.”
The Call for Diplomatic Restraint
Andrii Sybiha addressed the controversy surrounding President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s decision to name an elite military unit after the “Heroes of the UPA,” a group viewed in Poland as responsible for war crimes. Sybiha stated that escalating tensions between the two nations benefits neither Ukrainians nor Poles.
He noted that for the past two years, both countries have engaged in constructive dialogue regarding historical disputes, leading to progress in exhumations and burials. He emphasized that recent academic forums have successfully shifted these difficult conversations into a substantive and objective framework.
Military Intentions and Shared Threats
Sybiha clarified that the choice of the unit’s name was a decision made by Ukrainian soldiers, not intended as an affront to Poland. He argued that the focus should remain on the common threat posed by Russia, rather than fueling a “spiral of hatred.”
He defended the soldiers’ actions, asserting they had no anti-Polish intent and were honoring those who fought against imperial Moscow and Soviet occupation. He reaffirmed Ukraine’s gratitude for Poland’s leadership and support during the war.
Historical Conflict Over the UPA
The naming decision triggered a reaction from Karol Nawrocki, who proposed that President Zelenskyy be stripped of the Order of the White Eagle, which was awarded to him by former President Andrzej Duda in 2023.
Poland and Ukraine hold fundamentally different views on the OUN and UPA. While Poland characterizes the 1943 massacres in Volhynia as genocide, Ukraine often frames these events as a symmetric conflict and views the organizations primarily as anti-Soviet resistance groups.
