Kyiv thanked Polish officials for defending a colleague who explained the Ukrainian perspective on the UPA
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has officially thanked the Polish politicians who spoke out in defense of Andrzej Sheptytsky, Poland’s Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education. The Polish official drew a wave of harsh criticism from representatives of right-wing forces following his remarks regarding Ukrainians’ positive attitude toward the activities of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA).
The scandal erupted after Andrzej Sheptytsky commented on the naming of one of the units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces after UPA fighters. The official explained to the Polish public that in modern Ukraine, UPA fighters are viewed as independence fighters, much like how participants in the anti-Soviet underground are honored in Poland. Following these remarks, representatives of the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party demanded Sheptytsky’s immediate dismissal, while some radicals called for the resignation of Donald Tusk’s entire government. In particular, PiS Vice President Przemysław Czarnek accused the government of “keeping Ukrainians in the government who insult Poles.”
In response to these accusations, Polish Senate Marshal Włodzimierz Czajasty and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski came to the deputy minister’s defense, supporting their colleague’s right to his own position. At the same time, Polish Foreign Minister Sikorski shifted the blame for this historical tension onto the Ukrainian side, calling the naming of a military unit after the UPA a miscalculation, and urged Kyiv to “correct the mistake.” For his part, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhiy Tykhyi called the attacks against Sheptytsky based on his ethnic origin unacceptable and urged Polish politicians to adhere to European values in the field of human rights.
This was reported by “European Truth.”
Earlier, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski announced private consultations with Ukraine regarding the possible naming of one of the Special Operations Forces units “Heroes of the UPA.” According to him, this issue is being discussed through diplomatic channels.
Warsaw has reacted to the decision to rename the Ukrainian military unit. This refers to an elite unit of the Special Operations Forces, which, according to reports, was named in honor of the Heroes of the UPA. This has sparked a critical reaction in Polish society and political circles.
