Mayor of the Polish city of Koszalin, Tomasz Sobieraj, has urged the mayor of Ivano-Frankivsk, Ruslan Martsinkiv, to cease honoring Stepan Bandera and the OUN-UPA, threatening to sever the partnership between the cities.
Martsinkiv responded to the Polish mayor’s threats to sever partnership over Bandera / © UNIAN
The mayor of the Polish city of Koszalin, Tomasz Sobieraj, cynically called on the mayor of Ivano-Frankivsk, Ruslan Martsinkiv, to “refrain from actions that could glorify the OUN, UPA, and their associated figures.” He also threatened to terminate the partnerships between the cities.
This was reported on the website of the Polish publication Głos Koszaliński.
The scandal began when the head of the Koszalin regional branch of the “New Hope” party, Jan Kazimierz Adamczyk, appealed to the mayor of Koszalin with a call to respond and “exert pressure on the authorities of the sister city of Ivano-Frankivsk in connection with the scandalous actions of the mayor of this city, who promotes Bandera ideology.”
“It seems that this city and its authorities support Stepan Bandera, the OUN, and the UPA even more strongly than all of Ukraine. Children participate in organized poetry contests about Bandera, the mayor is almost always photographed against the backdrop of Bandera flags, and they want to name streets in honor of Bandera and the UPA,” Adamczyk wrote.
In the spirit of Russian propaganda, he accused the mayor of Ivano-Frankivsk, Ruslan Martsinkiv, of allegedly “promoting criminal Bandera ideology.”
The mayor of Koszalin, Tomasz Sobieraj, sent Adamczyk a letter, which he also forwarded to the mayor of Ivano-Frankivsk, Ruslan Martsinkiv.
“With the highest indignation and firm resistance, I receive information about your actions regarding the honoring and glorification of individuals and groups associated with the OUN and UPA, as well as the nationalist ideology connected with the Bandera movement. As the mayor of Koszalin, a twin city of Ivano-Frankivsk, I urge you to refrain from actions that could be interpreted as glorifying the OUN, UPA, and those responsible for crimes committed against the Polish population. We cannot build a European future by glorifying an ideology that led to violence against entire national groups. We also cannot expect true reconciliation without honoring the memory of the victims. This issue is of particular importance to the residents of Koszalin. After World War II, many Poles displaced from the former border territories of the Commonwealth, including Volyn and Eastern Galicia, arrived in our city. Among the residents of Koszalin and their families are people who personally experienced the consequences of those events, losing loved ones, family homes, and their entire lives,” the cynical letter from the Polish mayor stated.
What the Mayor of Ivano-Frankivsk Replied
In a comment to “Suspilne,” the mayor of Ivano-Frankivsk, Ruslan Martsinkiv, commented on the nationalistic accusations from the Poles, which he described as being in the spirit of Russian propaganda.
“I don’t understand this. Firstly, we have had Stepan Bandera Street since 1991, meaning the city has always honored our national liberation struggle. And we are proud that we are Ukrainians, that we have such heroes who fought for the Ukrainian state,” said the mayor of Ivano-Frankivsk.
He emphasized that the statements from the city of Koszalin only play into the hands of one entity – Putin and the pro-Russian narrative being developed in Poland today.
Martsinkiv added that he would not react in any way to the accusations made by representatives of the Polish party “New Hope.”
“I think that instead of making such statements now, Poland should better prepare for a new Moscow-Polish war. Because today, such statements are just like water to the enemy’s mill. We treat this normally, we will not react in any way. This is the right of every community, including the Polish one,” the mayor explained.
Martsinkiv also said that Ivano-Frankivsk hosts the Center for Polish Culture and European Dialogue, and the Polish community is developing in the city.
“We take care of the graves of Poles buried here. We want, similarly, to be given the opportunity to tidy up the graves of Ukrainians in Poland. Therefore, we will not react to this statement in any way. Once again: this is their right, but I believe that today this is Moscow’s hand working in Poland,” concluded Ruslan Martsinkiv.
We remind you that relations between Kyiv and Warsaw are in deep crisis. Poland is already clearly stating that it will not let Ukraine into the EU if we do not abandon the honoring of OUN and UPA figures.
Against this backdrop, acts of aggression against Ukrainians living in Poland have become more frequent.
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