Police seek vandals who sprayed 'Slava UPA' on two Warsaw monuments

Police search for the vandals

On Saturday, 14 November 2026, Warsaw police received two reports of defaced monuments in the Muranów district. The damaged sites are the Monument to the Heroes of the Ghetto beside the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews and the Monument to Soldiers of the 1st Polish Army on the Square of Political Prisoners of Stalinism. Red paint reading 'Slava UPA' was applied to both, a message meant to suggest that Ukrainians were responsible. Police spokesman mł. asp. Bartłomiej Śniadała said a group of investigators and a forensic technician carried out initial steps at the scene, and that one person most likely caused the damage. He told PAP that police were now taking steps to detain those responsible.

“If the perpetrators are identified and detained, then more can be said. Currently the police are carrying out actions aimed at detention.”

Reactions from Jewish and Ukrainian institutions

The Jewish Historical Institute in Poland condemned the damage in a statement posted on social media. It described the attack on the Heroes of the Ghetto monument as shameful and said similar vandalism had been recorded at 11 monuments in four Polish cities.

“This is a shameful attack on the memory of the victims of the Holocaust and the heroes of Jewish resistance.”

The Embassy of Ukraine in Poland issued its own statement on Saturday afternoon. It called the act an unlawful expression of the hybrid war Russia is trying to wage in European countries, and in Poland in particular. In the embassy's view, the aim was obvious: to stir hostility between Poles and Ukrainians, undermine mutual trust and weaken support for Ukraine. It also expressed confidence that those responsible would be detained and held to account.

Earlier cases and the arrest in Gdańsk

Similar inscriptions had appeared in other cities before Warsaw. On Wednesday, 11 November, police in Gdańsk detained a 17-year-old Ukrainian citizen. He was charged with destroying monuments and promoting a totalitarian system, was placed under police supervision, and the case is being handled by the Internal Security Agency (ABW). The 'Slava UPA' inscriptions were painted on seven monuments in the Tricity area. According to Trójmiasto.pl, a Telegram channel offered 500 dollars for painting the provocative slogans and sticking QR codes on monuments. TVP Info reported that within the past week, 11 other historic monuments in Warsaw, Gdynia and Poznań had been damaged in a similar way.

A separate case in Świdnik, Lublin Voivodeship, involves a 45-year-old man detained for insulting national symbols. Between the night of 11 and 12 November, he removed and destroyed state flags at the Unknown Soldier monument there and scattered wreaths, bouquets and candles. He was placed under police supervision.

Warnings to Ukrainians and parents

The embassy urged Ukrainians in Poland to reject offers of quick money and to be careful with strangers online.

“Do not let yourselves be tempted by 'easy money' in exchange for painting inscriptions, damaging property or carrying out other unlawful orders.”

The embassy added that a promise of payment does not free anyone from criminal liability. It advised people not to share personal data with strangers online, and to refuse requests to take photos, leave or move parcels, or carry out tasks whose real purpose is hidden. Parents were asked to talk with children and teenagers about recruitment risks, including threats and blackmail hidden behind promises of fast money. No detention in the Warsaw case had been reported, and police continued efforts to identify those responsible.