Sybiha responds to Poland's grievances over the naming of an SOF unit "after the Heroes of the UPA"

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha commented on the situation surrounding Poland's indignation over the President of Ukraine's decision to grant a Ukrainian Special Operations Forces unit the name "named after the Heroes of the UPA," UNN reports.

"The name of the unit was the choice of our military. Our defenders deserve unconditional respect. Today, it is they who, at the cost of their health and often their lives, hold the front line and protect all of Europe from the Russian threat. And they pay the highest price for it. I know for certain that our military did not have anything even remotely anti-Polish in mind. For them, it was about honoring those who, likewise many years ago, fought against imperial Moscow, Bolshevik-communist occupation, and repression,"

"Ukraine fought very hard for its independence. Generation after generation. Just as Poland moved toward its independence through hard work and struggle—by its own path," Sybiha pointed out.

The Foreign Minister emphasized: "The escalation between Ukraine and Poland benefits neither Ukrainians nor Poles."

"For almost two years, we have been rebuilding a constructive dialogue step by step. We unblocked searches and exhumations. With dignity and Christian traditions, we conducted the reburial of victims in several locations. We restored the congress of historians, within which we moved the discussion of difficult pages of our shared history into the dimension of professional, scientifically objective discussion. Based not on political slogans, but on archival documents, materials, and scientific research—which opened the way to dialogue on sensitive issues and finally allowed us to hear each other," Sybiha continued.

And this, in his words, is "an absolutely correct approach of mutual respect, recognition, and honesty." "It is impossible to undermine it and spin the flywheel of hatred. Especially in conditions where the threat from our eternal enemy, Russia, looms over all of us—Ukrainians, Poles, and other Europeans—once again. We must not forget that fighting each other will lead to the edge of the abyss. It is necessary to realize this, lower the temperature of emotions, leave our shared history to the consideration of professional historians, and focus together on the main thing: countering the common enemy, strengthening our European security, and protecting the free future of our nations," the Minister emphasized.

"We are grateful to Poland for its leadership role in supporting Ukraine during this terrible time of war. We strive to discuss all issues, including the most difficult ones, in a spirit of mutual understanding and openness. We call for dialogue and the strengthening of our relations in accordance with the priorities of security and the prosperous future of our states," the Foreign Minister concluded.

As a reminder

On Wednesday, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy granted one of the units of the Special Operations Forces of the AFU the name "named after the Heroes of the UPA."   

Following this, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that the decision to grant the Ukrainian SOF unit the name "named after the Heroes of the UPA" causes concern regarding bilateral relations and touches upon historical sensitivities, adding that it "unnecessarily brings the issue of historical differences back to a rather alarming level." Meanwhile, the President of Poland's Institute of National Remembrance, Karol Nawrocki, stated that he is critical of the Ukrainian President's decision and believes that Zelenskyy should be stripped of the Polish Order of the White Eagle.