Ukraine must correct mistake regarding name of "Heroes of Ukrainian Insurgent Army" unit – Sikorski
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said Ukraine must correct the "mistake" regarding the naming of the Special Operations Forces unit "Heroes of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UIA)." According to him, Kyiv is responsible for the escalation of the discussion in bilateral relations.
Censor.NET reports this with reference to European Pravda, citing his statement at a press conference.
The blame lies with Ukraine
Commenting on tensions in Polish-Ukrainian relations after the scandal over the naming of a Defense Forces unit, Sikorski emphasized that, in this matter, the blame lies with Ukraine.
"Please be guided by the statement of the head of the Cabinet of Ministers that it was Ukraine that made a mistake, and we expect Ukraine to correct this mistake," the foreign minister said.
Sikorski also called "scandalous" the statement by Przemyslaw Czarnek, vice president of the Law and Justice (PiS) party and the party's candidate for prime minister, about "keeping Ukrainians who insult Poles in the government," which was directed at Deputy Education Minister Andrzej Szeptycki. The politician, who is of Ukrainian origin, compared UiA fighters with Polish anti-Soviet underground members, which sparked Czarnek's outrage.
"Poland is the homeland of all its citizens, regardless of religion or origin, and I believe that such nationalist attacks are a revival of the ghosts of the darkest pages of Polish history. I hope our compatriots will not let themselves be deceived," Sikorski said.
The scandal over the unit named after the Heroes of the UIA
- The escalation in Ukrainian-Polish relations broke out after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree on May 26 granting the Separate Special Operations Center "North" of the Special Operations Forces of Ukraine's Armed Forces the honorary title "named after the Heroes of the UIA." The text of the document stated that the decision was made to "restore the historical traditions of the national army."
- Former Polish President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Lech Walesa demonstratively removed a badge with the Ukrainian flag, which he had constantly worn, in protest and accused Zelenskyy of "honoring UIA bandits," which, he said, "insulted him personally and all murdered Poles."
- Former Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Poland to Ukraine Bartosz Cichocki officially returned the Order of Merit awarded to him by Zelenskyy in 2022 over the same decision.
- Head of the International Policy Bureau at the Polish president's office, Marcin Przydacz, said Volodymyr Zelenskyy should personally call his Polish counterpart Karol Nawrocki and formally apologize for giving the SOF unit the name "Heroes of the UIA."
- The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that for the Ukrainian military, "the UIA's struggle symbolizes resistance to Moscow's imperial policy and is in no way directed against Poles."
