Volodymyr Zelenski decided to give the "North" peculiar Operations Force of Ukraine a name commemorating UPA. He justified this decision by his desire to appeal to the historical traditions of the Ukrainian military and to appreciate the individual's actions in defending the country's independency and territorial integrity.
The decision sparked a sharp reaction of the erstwhile president of Poland, Lech Wałęsa, who found it offensive to victims of the Volyn crime and their families.
The president of Ukraine, distinguishing the bandits from UPA, insulted me and all the murdered of our countrymen. I so publically removed the Ukrainian flag from my chest. I will proceed to aid the nation fight the Soviets. I refuse to support president Zelensk! – wrote Wałęsa on his Facebook.
IPN spoke
The Institute of National Memory besides took a critical position. The institution recalled that UPA is liable for mass murders in Poles in Volyn and east Galicia, and the promotion of this formation by Ukrainian authorities raises opposition in Poland. The IPN pointed out that the ideology of the organization was based on extremist nationalism, and the programming papers allowed utmost force against opponents and national minorities.
As the IPN wrote, organized attacks on Polish population began in 1943, and their culmination was the alleged bloody Sunday on 11 July, erstwhile dozens of Polish towns in Volyn were attacked. In the following months, akin actions besides took place in east Galicia, Chełmszczyz and Rzeszów.
Ukrainians and the Memory of UPA
The dispute concerning the assessment of OUN and UPA activities has for years remained 1 of the main historical differences between Poland and Ukraine. Poland acknowledges the Volyn events as genocide, while part of the Ukrainian side interprets them as part of the bilateral armed conflict and emphasizes the anti-Soviet nature of their activities.
