Polish lawmakers have called on Vinnytsia to rename Stepan Bandera Street
The Law and Justice Party faction in the Kielce City Council has drafted a resolution calling on the authorities in Vinnytsia to change the name of Stepan Bandera Street, which was renamed in 2022.
The initiative was submitted to the chairman of the Kielce City Council, Maciej Jakubczyk. The document is scheduled to be presented to council members for consideration during the upcoming session.
This initiative emerged amid discussions surrounding shared Ukrainian-Polish history, which previously led Vinnytsia to withdraw its request to its Polish sister city regarding the transfer of buses.
The text of the resolution emphasizes that Kielce and Vinnytsia are linked by more than 70 years of partnership based on cultural and economic cooperation and friendship between the residents of both cities.
The authors of the document pay special attention to the support the Polish city provided to Ukraine after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
“The scale of these ties became evident after February 24, 2022, when Russia committed a brutal act of aggression against Ukraine. The community of Kielce, without hesitation and with full dedication, rushed to provide humanitarian, material, and institutional aid to Vinnytsia and thousands of Ukrainian refugees, sharing your pain and supporting your struggle for freedom,” the document states.
At the same time, the deputies emphasize that “true friendship also requires dialogue on complex and painful topics.”
According to representatives of the Polish political party, the figure of Stepan Bandera and the activities of the OUN-UPA evoke negative associations in Polish society due to the tragic events of World War II.
“The figure of Stepan Bandera and the legacy of the OUN-UPA in Poland are unequivocally associated with mass crimes against a defenseless civilian population. According to Polish historians and in the collective consciousness of our society, Stepan Bandera, as the leader of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), is a figure unequivocally responsible for the genocide of the Polish civilian population, particularly in Volhynia. “Symbols and names associated with that tragedy cause deep pain in Poland and are a stain on the partnership between our local governments,” the resolution states.
In the document, the deputies call on the Vinnytsia authorities to consider renaming the street and choosing another historical figure for it.
“We believe that in the rich history of Ukraine and Vinnytsia itself, there are many outstanding figures—heroes of the struggle for independence, cultural and scientific figures, or righteous individuals—who can unite, rather than divide, our peoples and local communities. Such a gesture by the city of Vinnytsia, made in the spirit of mutual respect and historical truth, would become a landmark symbol of the maturity of our partnership. “Clearing Vinnytsia’s public spaces of symbols that divide Poles and Ukrainians will strengthen our partnership for decades to come,” the appeal states.
The resolution has yet to be considered by the members of the Kielce City Council. If approved, the document will be officially sent to the leadership of Vinnytsia.
This was reported by Telewizja Świętokrzyska.
Former PrimePrime Minister of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki expressed support for President Karol Nawrocki’s initiative to equate the “Bandera symbol” with Nazi and communist symbols and called for deportations for its display.
The reburial of prominent Ukrainian political and state figures, including Stepan Bandera, Symon Petliura, and Pavlo Skoropadskyi, will depend on the future law on the National Pantheon of Heroes.
