Lublin and Przemyśl cut or suspend ties with Lviv over its 2027 UPA year declaration

Lublin ends its agreement with the Lviv oblast

The Lublin Voivodeship assembly voted on Monday, 26 October, to dissolve its 2004 agreement on economic, trade, scientific-technical and cultural cooperation with the Lviv oblast. All 30 councillors present backed the resolution. Marshal Jarosław Stawiarski of PiS presented it as a signal that Poland will not honour people who glorify wartime criminals.

“There is no consent on our side for honouring criminals who murdered our brothers in cold blood.”

Councillors from across the political spectrum supported the move. Councillor Marek Kos of PSL said Poles could not accept such treatment by Ukrainians, while Zofia Woźnica of Koalicja Obywatelska called it unacceptable for Poles. Stawiarski said the decision made clear that any partnership will not extend to those who glorify criminals.

Przemyśl suspends its partnership

The Przemyśl city council voted unanimously on Monday, 26 October, to suspend its partnership with Lviv. All 21 councillors taking part in the vote supported it, and none voted against or abstained. The partnership agreement dates from 1995, and the resolution obliges Mayor Wojciech Bakun to start legal steps toward ending it. The councillors said the partnership could resume if the Lviv regional council formally withdraws or annuls its decision and the Lviv authorities clearly distance themselves from glorifying the formations responsible for crimes against civilians.

“Until the Lviv authorities clearly state their position on promoting ideology aimed against Poland and Poles, we suspend any joint activities.”

In a Facebook post after the vote, Bakun said Przemyśl would not remain indifferent to provocative and anti-Polish actions. The Przemyśl council also registered a draft resolution on 21 October seeking a full termination of the partnership.

What the Lviv council declared

The Lviv Regional Council declared 2027 a year dedicated to the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), to Roman Shukhevych and to Oleh Olzhych, an activist of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN). The decision was announced on 20 October, and the resolution reportedly vanished from the oblast website a dozen or so hours later. Councillor Svyatoslav Szeremeta was the proposer. Reasons cited for the decision were the 85th anniversary of the formation and the 120th anniversary of the birth of Shukhevych and Olzhych.

The Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) recalled that Shukhevych headed the UPA from 1943. It said that at least 100,000 Poles were killed in organised UPA massacres in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia in 1943 to 1945, and that around 60,000 were killed in Volhynia alone.

Volhynia, IPN (about)60,000

Volhynia and Eastern Galicia, IPN (at least)100,000

Volhynia, IPN (about)

60000 people

Volhynia and Eastern Galicia, IPN (at least)

100000 people

Data from the article text

Warsaw's response

Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on 21 October that the decision was not a problem for Poland. He also said that he had received a signal from President Zelensky that, if it depended on him, he would not support the further proceedings in any way. Tusk made that remark on Friday, 23 October.

“This is not a problem for us. It is a problem for Ukraine.”

For the foreign ministry, Radosław Sikorski signed a motion to place Szeremeta on the list of undesirable persons, barring him from entering and staying in the Schengen area until 20 October 2031. Łukasz Gibała presented a motion at the Kraków city council on 21 October calling for official contacts with Lviv to be suspended.