Deshchytsia on Lviv Regional Council’s decision regarding Year of UIA: "Shouldn’t we be paying more attention to modern Ukrainian heroes?"
Andriy Deshchytsia, a diplomat and Ukraine’s former ambassador to Poland, has commented on the decision by the Lviv Regional Council to declare 2027 the Year of Roman Shukhevych, the UPA and Oleg Olzhych. He called for an honest examination of the country’s own history and for the condemnation of any crimes committed against civilians in the past.
He made these remarks during an interview with journalist Iryna Romaliiska on the ‘Butusov.Plus’ channel, as reported by Censor.NET.
The need for an honest examination of history
"Was the entire UPA beyond reproach? Were there not some units within it that may have committed murders of civilians? Because this is something that our historians, and not just Polish historians, are talking about. I think that it is also a task – including as part of implementing this decision by the Lviv Regional Council – to study the history of the UPA. This is an important issue that we hardly ever discuss. We take it for granted that we must honour the memory of the UPA, Shukhevych and Olzhych. But let us study our own history for ourselves. If there were units that committed crimes against the civilian population, then this must be condemned, and we must distance ourselves from it, because we have examples of modern Russian aggression and we condemn the killing of civilians. But we cannot, either, tolerate the idea that if, in the past, our units killed civilians, they can be regarded as heroes. No, that cannot be the case. And this will be a fair, open and honest approach, including when it comes to honouring the memory of those UPA fighters who truly fought for Ukrainian statehood," said Deshchytsia.
On the focus on today’s heroes
The diplomat believes that Ukraine now needs to strike a balance in its historical memory, giving priority to honouring and expressing gratitude to the heroes who died in the fight against Russian aggression.
"Shouldn’t we pay more attention to the modern-day heroes who have died in the current war, and strike a balance in our remembrance and honour with those who fought for Ukraine’s independence? Yes, we know that Shukhevych fought, Bandera fought, and the UPA fought, but let us also devote some time to showing attention and respect to those fighters who have died recently. And in every village, there are surely graves and portraits of those who have now laid down their lives. And I think that, first and foremost, we should be grateful to them for the fact that we – in particular, the regional council, on behalf of the military – are able to make such decisions, hold meetings, engage in political dialogue and engage in dialogue with society," said the former ambassador.
What led up to this?
- As a reminder, on 20 October, the Lviv Regional Council voted to declare 2027 the Year of Roman Shukhevych, the UPA and Oleg Olzhych.
- The decision drew criticism from the Polish authorities. Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski initiated the inclusion of Lviv Regional Council member Sviatoslav Sheremeta on the list of undesirable persons, whilst the mayors of Kraków and Przemyśl announced a possible suspension of partnership relations with Lviv.
