Lviv Oblast Council declares 2027 a year of the UPA and Shukhevych; Poland calls it unacceptable and Ukraine's Foreign Ministry calls it counterproductive
The Lviv Oblast Council declared 2027 a year honoring the UPA and its commander Roman Shukhevych. Poland called it unacceptable and barred the councillor behind it; Ukraine's Foreign Ministry called it counterproductive. The councillor says it was not aimed at Poland.
Case period:
Published by The Dispute Index editorial teamPublished Updated
Overview
The UPA was formed in 1942 from a faction of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) and fought for Ukrainian independence, including against Soviet rule. Some in Ukraine still remember it positively for that fight. Notes from Poland reports that in Poland it is remembered for the Volhynia massacres, in which the UPA led the killing of around 100,000 Poles, mostly women and children, and Poland's Institute of National Remembrance calls Shukhevych an architect of the genocide in Volhynia. Sheremeta said Lviv and other regional councils had declared similar years before. ZAXID.NET reported that the council removed its notice of the decision from its website the next day.
Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Bosacki said President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's closest associates had promised the decision would not take effect; UNN reported no public confirmation from the president's office. Prime Minister Donald Tusk said such decisions harm Ukraine. Poland's defense ministry called false a report that it had halted a military aid package over the decision. Sheremeta directs Dolia, a council enterprise that searches for and exhumes the remains of war victims, including in Poland, and Ukraine lifted a ban on exhuming Volhynia victims on its territory in 2025.
Timeline
5 timeline entries on this page. Dates: October 20, 2026 to October 22, 2026
October 2026
Lviv Oblast Council declares 2027 a year of the UPA, Shukhevych and Olzhych
Incident
The Lviv Oblast Council adopts resolutions proclaiming 2027 in the region the year of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, of its commander Roman Shukhevych and of Oleh Olzhych, an OUN leader. Councillor Sviatoslav Sheremeta, who chairs the council's culture committee, says they will pave the way for large-scale commemorative events.
[01]Notes from Poland report on Polish condemnation of the Lviv region honouring the UPA and Shukhevych
Notes from Poland report on the Lviv Oblast Council's October 20, 2026, resolutions declaring 2027 a year of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), Roman Shukhevych and Oleh Olzhych, and on Polish responses. It quotes councillor Sviatoslav Sheremeta, Polish foreign ministry spokesman Maciej Wewiór and Prime Minister Donald Tusk, and embeds posts by Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski and the Institute of National Remembrance. It notes that Poland associates the UPA with the Volhynia massacres, in which about 100,000 Poles were killed.
[02]Institute of National Remembrance
Long post on X by the English-language account of Poland's Institute of National Remembrance about the Lviv Oblast Council's decision to designate 2027 the year of Roman Shukhevych, the UPA and Oleh Olzhych. It sets out the institute's account of Shukhevych's role in the UPA, in German-backed units and in crimes against Poles and others during World War II.
Institute of National Remembrance's X post on the Lviv Oblast Council's Year of Shukhevych decision · Institute of National RemembranceFull post, October 21, 2026Poland enters Sheremeta in its register of undesirable persons
Reaction
Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski signs a motion to put Sheremeta on Poland's list of undesirable persons. Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński confirms the entry, with a ban covering the Schengen Area until October 20, 2031.
[03]Radoslaw Sikorski
Post on X, in Polish, by Poland's foreign minister, Radosław Sikorski, saying he signed a motion to enter Lviv Oblast councillor Sheremeta on the list of persons undesirable in Poland. ZAXID.NET reports that the post first gave the councillor's initial as P. and was later corrected.
Radosław Sikorski's X post on placing Sviatoslav Sheremeta on Poland's list of undesirable persons · Radoslaw SikorskiFull post, October 21, 2026 (in Polish)[04]Zelensky's office promised not to support the Lviv Regional Council's decision regarding the UPA, while MP Sheremeta was banned from entering the Schengen Area
UNN report that Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński confirmed Sviatoslav Sheremeta's entry in the register of undesirable persons, with a ban covering the Schengen Area until October 20, 2031, and that Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Bosacki said President Zelenskyy's closest associates had promised the decision would not take effect. It notes there was no public confirmation from the Office of the President.
Lviv Oblast Council takes its notice of the decision off its website
ZAXID.NET reports that the notice of the October 20 decision was removed from the council's official website the next day.
[05]Депутат Львівської облради Святослав Шеремета прокоментував можливу заборону в'їзду до Польщі
ZAXID.NET report, in Ukrainian, on comments Lviv Oblast Council member Sviatoslav Sheremeta gave the outlet about Polish reactions to the council's decision, which he initiated, to declare 2027 the year of Roman Shukhevych, the UPA and Oleh Olzhych. Sheremeta calls the reaction strange, says the decision was not directed against Poland or Poles, and disputes Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski's description of him. The report says the council removed its notice of the decision from its website the next day.
Депутат Львівської облради Святослав Шеремета прокоментував можливу заборону в'їзду до ПольщіFull article (in Ukrainian)Polish deputy foreign minister says Zelenskyy's associates promised the decision would not take effect
Claim
Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Bosacki says on TVN24 that President Zelenskyy's closest associates promised Poland the Lviv council's decision would not enter into force. UNN reports no public confirmation from the Office of the President.
[04]Zelensky's office promised not to support the Lviv Regional Council's decision regarding the UPA, while MP Sheremeta was banned from entering the Schengen Area
UNN report that Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński confirmed Sviatoslav Sheremeta's entry in the register of undesirable persons, with a ban covering the Schengen Area until October 20, 2031, and that Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Bosacki said President Zelenskyy's closest associates had promised the decision would not take effect. It notes there was no public confirmation from the Office of the President.
Polish defense ministry denies halting military aid over the decision
Reaction
A spokesperson for Poland's Ministry of National Defence calls false a European Pravda report that Poland suspended a military aid package to Ukraine because of the Lviv council's decision.
[06]Polish defence ministry denies halting military aid to Ukraine over Year of the UPA
Ukrainska Pravda report that a spokesperson for Poland's Ministry of National Defence, Janusz Sejmej, called false a European Pravda report that Poland had suspended a military aid package to Ukraine over the Lviv Oblast Council's decision.
Claims
Claims separate what was said from what is contested. Follow each source for the original wording and context.
What's disputed
Disputed claim
Sviatoslav Sheremeta, the Lviv Oblast Council member who proposed the year of Shukhevych, is a reenactor of the Galizien Waffen-SS division.
What is disputed
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski made the claim in the post announcing his motion to bar Sheremeta from Poland. Sheremeta told ZAXID.NET that the post contained false information and that he has never taken part in military-history reenactment.
Sources (2)
- Radosław Sikorski's X post on placing Sviatoslav Sheremeta on Poland's list of undesirable persons · Radoslaw SikorskiFull post, October 21, 2026 (in Polish)
- Депутат Львівської облради Святослав Шеремета прокоментував можливу заборону в'їзду до ПольщіFull article (in Ukrainian)
Response record
Responses
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1 matching response. Newest first.
Sviatoslav SheremetaMember of the Lviv Oblast Council and director of the Dolia search center, speaking to ZAXID.NETDirectly involved Before this statement
Sheremeta tells ZAXID.NET that the reaction of Polish officials and politicians is strange, to say the least, because Lviv and other regional councils have declared years of the UPA and of Roman Shukhevych many times before.
"The Lviv Oblast Council's decision was not directed against anyone, and certainly not against Poles or Poland, as Polish politicians interpret it. It is aimed at honoring with dignity the memory of the fighters for the freedom and independence of Ukraine. (Translated from Ukrainian. Original: Рішення Львівської облради не було спрямоване проти когось і тим більше проти поляків чи Польщі, як це трактують польські політики. Воно спрямоване на те, щоб гідно вшанувати пам'ять борців за волю і незалежність України.)"
Defended or excusedCase context: Lviv Oblast Council declares 2027 a year of the UPA and Shukhevych; Poland calls it unacceptable and Ukraine's Foreign Ministry calls it counterproductive
Full statement and sources
Sheremeta, who proposed the decision, says it was not directed against Poland or Poles, as Polish politicians read it, and that its purpose is to honor those who fought for Ukraine's freedom and independence.
After the statement
He says UPA soldiers, Roman Shukhevych and Oleh Olzhych are iconic figures of the Ukrainian national liberation movement, and later says a Polish entry ban would complicate Ukrainian-Polish contacts on commemorating the dead.
Депутат Львівської облради Святослав Шеремета прокоментував можливу заборону в'їзду до ПольщіFull article (in Ukrainian)Why this label?
The case concerns the Lviv Oblast Council's October 20, 2026, decision to declare 2027 in the region a year of the UPA, of Roman Shukhevych and of Oleh Olzhych. Sheremeta rejects the Polish reading of the decision and says its purpose is to honor fighters for Ukraine's independence, which defends it.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Sources
(8)
Reporting
Notes from Poland report on Polish condemnation of the Lviv region honouring the UPA and Shukhevych
Relevant passage: Full article
About this source
Notes from Poland report on the Lviv Oblast Council's October 20, 2026, resolutions declaring 2027 a year of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), Roman Shukhevych and Oleh Olzhych, and on Polish responses. It quotes councillor Sviatoslav Sheremeta, Polish foreign ministry spokesman Maciej Wewiór and Prime Minister Donald Tusk, and embeds posts by Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski and the Institute of National Remembrance. It notes that Poland associates the UPA with the Volhynia massacres, in which about 100,000 Poles were killed.
- Author
- Leo Greenberg
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
Polish defence ministry denies halting military aid to Ukraine over Year of the UPA
Relevant passage: Full article
About this source
Ukrainska Pravda report that a spokesperson for Poland's Ministry of National Defence, Janusz Sejmej, called false a European Pravda report that Poland had suspended a military aid package to Ukraine over the Lviv Oblast Council's decision.
- Author
- Viktoriia Shabranska
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
Zelensky's office promised not to support the Lviv Regional Council's decision regarding the UPA, while MP Sheremeta was banned from entering the Schengen Area
Relevant passage: Full article
About this source
UNN report that Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński confirmed Sviatoslav Sheremeta's entry in the register of undesirable persons, with a ban covering the Schengen Area until October 20, 2031, and that Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Bosacki said President Zelenskyy's closest associates had promised the decision would not take effect. It notes there was no public confirmation from the Office of the President.
- Author
- Stepan Haftko
- Published
- Accessed
Original post
Institute of National Remembrance's X post on the Lviv Oblast Council's Year of Shukhevych decision
About this source
Long post on X by the English-language account of Poland's Institute of National Remembrance about the Lviv Oblast Council's decision to designate 2027 the year of Roman Shukhevych, the UPA and Oleh Olzhych. It sets out the institute's account of Shukhevych's role in the UPA, in German-backed units and in crimes against Poles and others during World War II.
- Author
- Institute of National Remembrance
- Published
- Accessed
Original post
Radosław Sikorski's X post on placing Sviatoslav Sheremeta on Poland's list of undesirable persons
About this source
Post on X, in Polish, by Poland's foreign minister, Radosław Sikorski, saying he signed a motion to enter Lviv Oblast councillor Sheremeta on the list of persons undesirable in Poland. ZAXID.NET reports that the post first gave the councillor's initial as P. and was later corrected.
- Author
- Radosław Sikorski
- Published
- Accessed
Original post
Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz's X post calling the Lviv Oblast Council's decision unacceptable
About this source
Post on X, in Polish, by Poland's deputy prime minister and defense minister, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, about the Lviv Oblast Council's decision to make 2027 the year of the UPA and Shukhevych.
- Author
- Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
Депутат Львівської облради Святослав Шеремета прокоментував можливу заборону в'їзду до Польщі
Relevant passage: Full article (in Ukrainian)
About this source
ZAXID.NET report, in Ukrainian, on comments Lviv Oblast Council member Sviatoslav Sheremeta gave the outlet about Polish reactions to the council's decision, which he initiated, to declare 2027 the year of Roman Shukhevych, the UPA and Oleh Olzhych. Sheremeta calls the reaction strange, says the decision was not directed against Poland or Poles, and disputes Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski's description of him. The report says the council removed its notice of the decision from its website the next day.
- Author
- Nataliia Shutka
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
Ukraine responds to Poland's reaction to year honoring UPA and Shukhevych in Lviv region
Relevant passage: Full article
About this source
LIGA.net report on the response Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs gave journalists about the Lviv Oblast Council's decision to declare 2027 the year of the UPA and Shukhevych. The ministry called the decision counterproductive to efforts to develop Ukrainian-Polish relations, said the councillors did not consult it or other central bodies, and asked Poland to refrain from drastic steps.
- Author
- Artem Dzheripa
- Published
- Accessed
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Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Lviv Oblast Council declares 2027 a year of the UPA and Shukhevych; Poland calls it unacceptable and Ukraine's Foreign Ministry calls it counterproductive
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/cases/lviv-oblast-council-year-of-upa-shukhevych-poland
The Dispute Index. "Lviv Oblast Council declares 2027 a year of the UPA and Shukhevych; Poland calls it unacceptable and Ukraine's Foreign Ministry calls it counterproductive". First published: 2026-10-31. Last updated: 2026-10-31. https://disputeindex.com/cases/lviv-oblast-council-year-of-upa-shukhevych-poland