The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has denounced a far-right Polish presidential candidate over a dispute that began when he accused Ukrainians of “worshipping criminals.”
Sławomir Mentzen – the presidential candidate for Poland’s far-right Confederation coalition – criticized Ukrainians on Tuesday for what he called the “worship” of Ukrainian national figure Stepan Bandera, whom Mentzen labeled a terrorist.
Mentzen said: “Ukrainians still worship criminals responsible for the murder of 100 thousand Poles!”
In a video recorded in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, he added: “[Bandera] is a terrorist… He established an organization of Ukrainian nationalists which is responsible for the massacres in Volhynia. “Ukraine must end the cult of Stepan Bandera as quickly as possible,” Mentzen said in the video, standing near a monument to the late Ukrainian nationalist.
Stepan Bandera is a controversial figure in Polish-Ukrainian history. He was one of the founders of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), which fought to establish an independent Ukrainian state during and after World War II.
Between 1943 and 1945, the OUN was responsible for numerous atrocities and massacres of Poles in the Volhynia and Galicia regions in modern-day Poland and Ukraine.
Some estimates place the number of Poles killed by Ukrainian nationalists during this time at around 100,000, while thousands of Ukrainians were also killed in reprisal attacks.
In Poland, Bandera is largely viewed as a murderer and war criminal, while in Ukraine he is seen as a patriot and a national hero.
Mentzen said: “Ukrainians still worship criminals responsible for the murder of 100 thousand Poles!”
In a video recorded in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, he added: “[Bandera] is a terrorist… He established an organization of Ukrainian nationalists which is responsible for the massacres in Volhynia. “Ukraine must end the cult of Stepan Bandera as quickly as possible,” Mentzen said in the video, standing near a monument to the late Ukrainian nationalist.
Stepan Bandera is a controversial figure in Polish-Ukrainian history. He was one of the founders of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), which fought to establish an independent Ukrainian state during and after World War II.
Between 1943 and 1945, the OUN was responsible for numerous atrocities and massacres of Poles in the Volhynia and Galicia regions in modern-day Poland and Ukraine.
Some estimates place the number of Poles killed by Ukrainian nationalists during this time at around 100,000, while thousands of Ukrainians were also killed in reprisal attacks.
In Poland, Bandera is largely viewed as a murderer and war criminal, while in Ukraine he is seen as a patriot and a national hero.
Mayor of Lviv Andriy Sadovyi called Mentzen a “Pro-Russian politician with a Polish passport” over his comments and questioned whether the Polish presidential candidate should even be allowed to enter Ukraine.
Mentzen subsequently implied that Lviv – which lay within Poland’s borders pre-World War II – still belonged to Poland, saying: “I am Polish and I went to the beautiful and culturally Polish city of Lviv,” drawing sharp criticism from Kyiv.
Heorhii Tykhyi, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s foreign ministry, said that attempts to question Ukraine’s territorial integrity were unacceptable, and appealed to Polish politicians to not use issues related to Ukraine in Poland’s domestic campaign, seemingly alluding to the upcoming Polish presidential election.
“Such unfriendly steps are contrary to the spirit of the strategic partnership between Ukraine and Poland. They are incompatible with the achievements of the two countries in the sphere of historical memory and may harm friendly relations between our nations,” Tykhyi said, according to a report from Poland’s state news agency PAP.
Tykhyi added that Kyiv does not treat the statements of “some anti-Ukrainian politicians” as the official position of Poland.
The status of Bandera and the exhumation of Polish victims on Ukrainian soil have long been a point of contention between Warsaw and Kyiv, and tensions have flared in recent years even amid the backdrop of the close relationship formed between the two countries during Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.
Polish news platform Onet reported that the Myrotvorets organization, a non-government entity which investigates crimes against Ukraine, has now added Mentzen to its list of what it calls “enemies of Ukraine” over his comments.
Mentzen subsequently implied that Lviv – which lay within Poland’s borders pre-World War II – still belonged to Poland, saying: “I am Polish and I went to the beautiful and culturally Polish city of Lviv,” drawing sharp criticism from Kyiv.
Heorhii Tykhyi, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s foreign ministry, said that attempts to question Ukraine’s territorial integrity were unacceptable, and appealed to Polish politicians to not use issues related to Ukraine in Poland’s domestic campaign, seemingly alluding to the upcoming Polish presidential election.
“Such unfriendly steps are contrary to the spirit of the strategic partnership between Ukraine and Poland. They are incompatible with the achievements of the two countries in the sphere of historical memory and may harm friendly relations between our nations,” Tykhyi said, according to a report from Poland’s state news agency PAP.
Tykhyi added that Kyiv does not treat the statements of “some anti-Ukrainian politicians” as the official position of Poland.
The status of Bandera and the exhumation of Polish victims on Ukrainian soil have long been a point of contention between Warsaw and Kyiv, and tensions have flared in recent years even amid the backdrop of the close relationship formed between the two countries during Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.
Polish news platform Onet reported that the Myrotvorets organization, a non-government entity which investigates crimes against Ukraine, has now added Mentzen to its list of what it calls “enemies of Ukraine” over his comments.
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