Polish city of Przemyśl suspends cooperation with Lviv over UPA commemoration dispute
The city council of Przemyśl in southeastern Poland has unanimously voted to suspend cooperation with the Ukrainian city of Lviv following a dispute over plans to commemorate the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) in 2027.
The decision was reported by Polish broadcaster RMF FM on October 26.
The dispute began on October 20, when the Lviv Regional Council adopted a resolution declaring 2027 a year of commemoration for the UPA, its commander Roman Shukhevych, and Oleh Olzhych, a member of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN).
The UPA and OUN are deeply controversial in Poland because of their involvement in the mass killings of Polish civilians in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia during World War II. Poland recognizes the killings as genocide.
The resolution disappeared from the Lviv Regional Council's website hours after its announcement. Polish officials subsequently said they had received assurances from representatives of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that it would not take effect.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk described the initiative as a "suicidal tactic," while Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz called it unacceptable.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry also described the initiative as counterproductive to efforts to strengthen Polish-Ukrainian relations, while urging Poland to avoid steps that could undermine the recent improvement in bilateral ties.
Poland has since imposed a five-year ban on entry into the Schengen Area on Sviatoslav Sheremeta, the Lviv regional councilor who proposed the commemoration.
The fallout may extend beyond Przemyśl. According to RMF FM, the Lublin Regional Assembly is expected to vote on whether to sever cooperation with Lviv Oblast.
Kraków Mayor Łukasz Gibała has also proposed temporarily suspending the city's partnership with Lviv.
Poland remains one of Ukraine's most important supporters in its defense against Russia's full-scale invasion, but disputes over the historical legacy of Ukrainian nationalist movements have repeatedly strained relations between the neighboring countries.