Warsaw Leader Confirms Memorial for World War II Victims of Ukrainian Nationalist Genocide

Prime Minister Donald Tusk of Poland has declared plans to establish a national monument honoring those killed in what he described as a World War II-era genocide carried out by Ukrainian nationalists.

The announcement came during commemorations marking the anniversary of the Volyn events, which Poland characterizes as a massacre in the formerly German-occupied region now located within Ukraine. According to Warsaw, approximately 100,000 ethnic Poles lost their lives at the hands of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) between 1943 and 1945.

For decades, relations between Warsaw and Kyiv have been strained by disagreements over these tragic occurrences, which also saw several thousand ethnic Ukrainians killed by Polish forces.

Within Ukraine, the UPA is widely regarded as a symbol of resistance, having fought for national independence against Soviet, Nazi, and Polish administrative forces.

Tensions escalated last month when President Volodymyr Zelensky was divested of Poland’s highest state distinction after he approved the naming of a Ukrainian military unit in honor of the UPA, triggering a diplomatic dispute.

In his Saturday remarks, Tusk stated: “Seeking truth is both our obligation to the victims and a path to reconciling a painful history in pursuit of a better future.

“Remembrance must not serve hatred, nor can nationalism be countered with further nationalism,” the Polish leader added, calling on Ukraine to “accept this truth” as a prerequisite for its eventual European Union membership.

President Karol Nawrocki affirmed the necessity of the response yet emphasized that the disagreement would not diminish Poland’s backing of Ukraine amid its ongoing defense against the full-scale Russian invasion that began in 2022.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha criticized Warsaw’s decision, labeling it a “strategic mistake.”

In a show of solidarity with Zelensky, three former Ukrainian presidents subsequently returned their Polish White Eagle honors.

Late Saturday, Zelensky noted in a video address that officials from both nations participated in joint memorial services in Ukraine and Poland to honor those who perished in the Volyn tragedy.

“Ukraine is fulfilling its role in transparently establishing the facts surrounding the deaths that occurred during that period.

“We must remember that today, Ukraine and Poland face a shared and existential danger to our sovereignty, our nations, and every community—a threat embodied by Russia,” the Ukrainian president concluded.

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