Poland’s Foreign Ministry expects Ukraine to “correct the mistake” regarding the renaming of its special forces unit
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski called on Kyiv to “correct the mistake” after Ukraine decided to rename one of its special forces units after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), says TVP Info.
Sikorski echoed the statement of Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, agreeing that Ukraine bears the “blame” for this controversy.
“Please follow the statement of the Prime Minister, it was Ukraine that made a mistake, and we expect Ukraine to correct this mistake,” the foreign minister said.
More on the controversy
On May 26, President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a decree granting a Separate Special Operations Centre North of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine the honorary name Heroes of the UPA. The document states that the purpose of this decision is to “restore the historical traditions of the national army.”
Lech Wałęsa, former President of Poland and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, reacted to this by removing a pin featuring the Ukrainian flag and accusing Zelensky of “honouring UPA bandits,” thereby “insulting him and all his killed compatriots.”
Bartosz Cichocki, Poland’s former Ambassador to Ukraine, returned the Order of Merit, which President Volodymyr Zelensky had awarded him in 2022. The Ukrainian flag was removed from the town hall building in Lublin, Poland.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry stated that for Ukrainian military personnel, “the UPA’s struggle symbolises resistance to Moscow’s imperial policies and is in no way directed against Poles.”
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