Poland's embassy in Kyiv and defence minister object to the Lviv council naming 2027 a year of the UPA

21 October 2026

The Lviv regional council in western Ukraine announced that 2027 would honour the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, its commander Roman Shukhevych and the nationalist activist Oleh Olzhych. Poland's embassy in Kyiv said glorifying the UPA conflicts with European values, described Shukhevych as a Nazi collaborator and said irresponsible local activists were undermining dialogue. Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz called the decision unacceptable and said it strengthens divisions rather than building trust between the two nations. Bartosz Grodecki, head of Poland's National Security Bureau, said Poland cannot stay silent about the glorification of perpetrators of crimes against Poles. Prime Minister Donald Tusk said such actions run counter to Ukraine's own interests.