The Center for Public Diplomacy Debunked a False Report About Zelenskyy’s Decree Regarding the UPA Memorial in Volhynia
The Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine has refuted information circulating on social media alleging that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree authorizing the construction of a large-scale memorial in Volhynia to honor the leaders of the UPA. The Center emphasizes that this information is yet another Russian fake news story.
According to the Center, a fabricated video, styled to resemble a report by the international television channel France 24, is being circulated through a network of anonymous accounts.
It claims that Volodymyr Zelenskyy allegedly approved the construction of a memorial complex near Lutsk, which is supposedly to be funded by the European Union in the amount of 70 million euros, with work set to begin on July 11.
“Propagandists claim that the European Union will finance the 70-million-euro project, and that construction is supposedly set to begin on July 11—the day Poland commemorates the victims of the Volhynia tragedy,” the Center noted.
The Center emphasized that this story is entirely fabricated. The management of France 24’s English-language editorial team officially confirmed that it had never produced or broadcast such material, and that the “presidential decree” shown in the video is a forgery, since the document with that number has a completely different content.
The CPD also explained that a real draft law, No. 15360, was used to create the fake, but its content was deliberately distorted.
“In fact, this document concerns the creation of a national Pantheon in Kyiv to honor outstanding figures of Ukrainian history from various eras, not the construction of a separate UPA complex in Volhynia,” the Center emphasized.
The agency is convinced that the main goal of the Russian disinformation campaign is to worsen Ukrainian-Polish relations, provoke political tensions between Kyiv and Warsaw, and weaken Poland’s support for Ukraine.
“This disinformation campaign is part of a large-scale Russian information operation aimed at destabilizing Ukrainian-Polish relations. The use of fake videos and logos of international media outlets is a classic tool of the Russian disinformation network ‘Matryoshka,’” the Center for Countering Disinformation concluded.
This was reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (CCD).
Earlier, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to a legislative initiative being considered by the Polish Sejm to ban the ideology of the “OUN-UPA.” Kyiv called on the Polish side to refrain from unilateral steps that could strain bilateral relations and emphasized the importance of continuing the historical dialogue between the two countries.
As a reminder, the head of the Polish President’s Office was added to the Myrotvorets database.
Zbigniew Bogucki, head of the Polish President’s Office and a person listed in the Myrotvorets database, stated that Poles should be awarded a peace prize for the level of assistance they have provided to Ukrainian refugees.
