Poland warned Ukraine about problems with EU accession due to Bandera and Shukhevych
On August 24, Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Bosacki stated that honoring Stepan Bandera and Roman Shukhevych at the National Pantheon could complicate Ukraine’s European integration. According to him, this could worsen Kyiv’s relations not only with Warsaw but also with Europe as a whole.
Bosacki acknowledged the right of every nation to independently determine its own heroes. At the same time, the Polish diplomat stated that the inclusion of Bandera and Shukhevych—whom he described as responsible for mass crimes against the civilian population—in Ukraine’s National Pantheon could allegedly affect relations not only with Poland.
“If individuals responsible for mass crimes against the civilian population, such as Bandera or Shukhevych, were indeed included in Ukraine’s National Pantheon, it would significantly worsen Ukraine’s relations not only with Poland but also with Europe as a whole,” said the deputy head of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Separately, Bosacki mentioned the recent reburial of Yevhen Konovalets, the founder and first chairman of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists. The Polish diplomat called him “a far less controversial figure,” but noted the absence of most diplomatic representatives from EU countries at the ceremony. According to Bosacki, this was the result of “a Polish diplomatic initiative.”
The deputy minister also stated that honoring figures from the OUN and UPA could become an obstacle on Ukraine’s path to the European Union. “Ukraine knows that under the banners of those who killed—not only Poles, by the way, but also some Ukrainians, as well as Czechs, Jews, and Roma—that is, the founders of the UPA during the worst period of its activity, in 1943–1944—Ukraine will face enormous problems with its integration into Europe,” Bosatsky said.
This was reported by RMF24.
Earlier, a court in Moscow recognized Bandera, Shukhevych, the OUN, and the UPA as Nazi collaborators.
As a reminder, in Moscow, FSB officers detained Igor Moiseenko, deputy general director for corporate security at Gazprom Energoholding. He is suspected of accepting a bribe of approximately $630,000.
Ukrainian national hero Stepan Bandera verified his Twitter account, paid $8 per month, and became the proud owner of the “blue checkmark” next to his name.
