Sheremeta says the Lviv council's decision was not aimed at Poland but at honoring fighters for Ukraine's independence
Sviatoslav SheremetaMember of the Lviv Oblast Council and director of the Dolia search center, speaking to ZAXID.NET
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.
“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.)”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Lviv Oblast Council declares 2027 a year of the UPA and Shukhevych; Poland calls it unacceptable and Ukraine's Foreign Ministry calls it counterproductive
On October 20, 2026, the Lviv Oblast Council in western Ukraine adopted resolutions declaring 2027 in the region a year of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), of its commander Roman Shukhevych and of Oleh Olzhych, a leader of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists. Polish officials hold the UPA responsible for the Volhynia massacres of Poles during World War II. Poland's defense minister called the decision unacceptable, Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski moved to bar Sviatoslav Sheremeta, the councillor who proposed it, and Poland's interior minister then banned him from the Schengen Area until 2031. Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the decision counterproductive and said the councillors had not consulted it. Sheremeta said the decision was not directed against Poland and that Ukrainians decide who their heroes are.
Source and context
Reporting
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.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
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.
After the quotation
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.
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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.
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More from this case
Read the full caseUkraine's Foreign Ministry calls the Lviv council's decision counterproductive to efforts to improve relations with Poland
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine
“counterproductive to our ongoing efforts aimed at further developing Ukrainian-Polish relations and resolving outstanding issues amid Russia's full-scale aggression and unprecedented security threats to our two countries and the region as a whole”Read statement
Sikorski says he signed a motion to put Sheremeta on Poland's list of undesirable persons over the year of Shukhevych
“I have signed a motion to enter Lviv Oblast councillor S. Sheremeta, a Galizien Waffen-SS reenactor and the author of the idea of making 2027 the year of R. Shukhevych, the UPA commander who issued orders to expel and murder Poles, on the list of persons undesirable in the Republic of Poland. (Translated from Polish. Original: Podpisałem wniosek o wpisanie na listę osób niepożądanych w RP radnego obwodu lwowskiego S. Szeremeta, rekonstruktora Galizien Waffen-SS, autora pomysłu ustanowienia 2027 rokiem R.Szuchewycza, dowódcy UPA, który wydawał rozkazy wysiedlania i mordowania Polaków.)”Read statement
Poland's Institute of National Remembrance says honoring Shukhevych is a blow to the memory of genocide victims
Institute of National Remembrance
“Honouring this criminal must be regarded as a blow to the memory of the victims of the genocide carried out on his orders.”Read statement
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- Sheremeta says the Lviv council's decision was not aimed at Poland but at honoring fighters for Ukraine's independence
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The Dispute Index. "Sheremeta says the Lviv council's decision was not aimed at Poland but at honoring fighters for Ukraine's independence". First published: 2026-10-31. Last updated: 2026-10-31. https://disputeindex.com/events/7456-sheremeta-who-proposed-the-decision-says-it-was