A new escalation between Ukraine and Poland arose over the UPA: Warsaw is preparing restrictions for a deputy
A new diplomatic escalation has arisen in relations between Ukraine and Poland following the decision of the Lviv Regional Council to proclaim 2027 the year of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army and Roman Shukhevych. Warsaw has criticized the initiative, and Poland's Minister of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski has signed a motion to place one of its authors on the list of persons whose stay in the country is undesirable.
This happened just a few days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that relations with Poland had improved after a previous conflict over commemoration of the UPA.
The Polish authorities' new actions are reported by RMF24 and Polish media.
Sikorski announced on 21 October that he had signed a motion to place Lviv Regional Council deputy Sviatoslav Sheremeta on the list of persons whose stay in Poland is undesirable.
The minister published the corresponding statement on social network X. He explained his decision by Sheremeta's participation in the initiative to proclaim 2027 the year of Roman Shukhevych, the UPA's commander-in-chief.
Sikorski also leveled accusations regarding Sheremeta's historical activities, including his participation in reenactments related to the SS "Galicia" division. These claims are part of the Polish minister's position.
At the same time, the signing of the motion does not yet mean that the deputy has been officially banned from entering Poland. There is currently no information about the completion of the relevant procedure.
Tusk warned of consequences for Ukraine
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also criticized the decision of Lviv deputies, saying it harms Ukraine's interests and creates problems for Polish-Ukrainian cooperation.
According to the head of government, he had previously discussed sensitive issues of historical memory with Zelenskyy and warned that such initiatives complicate the work of politicians who support Ukraine.
At the same time, Tusk clarified that the President of Ukraine is not directly responsible for the decision of the Lviv Regional Council.
The Polish Prime Minister separately warned that such disputes could be used by opponents of Ukraine's accession to the European Union. In his opinion, the decision of Lviv deputies provides them with an additional argument in political discussions.
Tusk also noted that he had recently made significant efforts to restore Polish-Ukrainian relations after the previous crisis. According to him, Zelenskyy also worked on normalizing cooperation, and the new dispute may put these efforts at risk.
Poland announced a promise from Zelenskyy's team
Amid the escalation, Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Bosacki reported that Warsaw had allegedly received assurances from the Ukrainian President's inner circle regarding the further fate of the Lviv Regional Council's decision.
According to the Polish Press Agency, Bosacki stated that representatives of Zelenskyy's team promised to prevent the decision on commemoration of the UPA and Shukhevych from taking effect.
The Polish diplomat described the initiative as provocative and expressed hope that the Ukrainian side would fulfill its assurances.
He also informed that in the evening of 20 October, information about the relevant decision disappeared from the website of the Lviv authorities.
At the same time, there is currently no official confirmation of such an agreement from the Office of the President of Ukraine. The report on the adoption of decisions remained available in the search results on the website of the Lviv Regional Council. The official cancellation of the decision is also unconfirmed.
What decision did the Lviv Regional Council make
On 20 October, deputies of the Lviv Regional Council proclaimed 2027 the year of Roman Shukhevych, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army and Oleh Olzhych.
The initiative was justified by the need to honor figures of the Ukrainian liberation movement. Sviatoslav Sheremeta, who heads the relevant commission of the regional council, explained that the decision would allow preparing corresponding commemorative events.
For the Polish side, the figure of Shukhevych and the history of the UPA remain particularly sensitive due to the mass killings of Polish civilians in Volhynia and Galicia during World War II. Poland qualifies these crimes as genocide.
In Ukrainian historical memory, the UPA is also associated with the struggle for independence and resistance to Soviet rule. Differences in assessing the organization's activities have repeatedly caused political disputes between Kyiv and Warsaw.
A new escalation after statements about improving relations
The current dispute arose shortly after overcoming the previous diplomatic crisis, which began at the end of May due to the assignment of the name "UPA Heroes" to one of the Ukrainian military units.
At that time, the situation led to an exchange of sharp statements between Ukrainian and Polish officials. Polish President Karol Nawrocki even decided to revoke the Order of the White Eagle from Zelenskyy.
Against the background of this dispute, Zelenskyy stopped using the Polish airport Rzeszów-Jasionka for most foreign trips, instead choosing routes through Moldova or Romania.
However, on 14 October, for the first time after the escalation, the Ukrainian President again went on a foreign trip via Rzeszów, which became a noticeable signal of normalization of relations.
Already on 17 October, Zelenskyy publicly stated that Ukraine-Poland relations had indeed improved. He thanked the Polish government, Tusk, and Polish society for their support of Ukraine.
Thus, the new dispute over the UPA arose less than a week after statements about restoring trust between Kyiv and Warsaw.
Poland remains one of Ukraine's key partners in military assistance, international logistics, trade, and interaction with the European Union. However, there is currently no confirmation that the new diplomatic escalation has led to a restriction of this cooperation or a change in transit conditions through Polish territory.
Further developments will depend, in particular, on the official reaction of the Ukrainian authorities, the decision of the Lviv Regional Council, and the completion of the Polish procedure regarding Sviatoslav Sheremeta.
Based on materials from: RMF24, RMF24, Radosław Sikorski, 21.10.2026, PAP
