Poland warns Ukraine of 'major problems' in EU over Bandera and Shukhevych in national pantheon

Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Bosacki has warned that including historical figures Stepan Bandera and Roman Shukhevych in Ukraine's National Pantheon could create significant issues for the country's EU integration efforts. Speaking to RMF24 on August 24, Bosacki stated that every nation has the prerogative to determine its own historical heroes.

However, he emphasized that the inclusion of individuals responsible for mass crimes against civilians, such as Bandera and Shukhevych, in Ukraine's National Pantheon would severely strain Ukraine's relations with Poland and the broader European community.

According to Bosacki, no representatives from EU countries' diplomatic missions were present at the reburial of Yevhen Konovalets, the head of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN). He characterized this as a "Polish diplomatic action," asserting that Ukraine should be aware of the potential consequences should they choose to honor figures linked to the OUN, particularly during its most violent period between 1943 and 1944.

On August 22, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the law establishing Ukraine's National Pantheon. The inaugural act of the project occurred in May 2026, when the remains of Andrii Melnyk, a leader of the OUN-M faction, and his wife, Sofiia Fedak-Melnyk, were reburied at the National Military Memorial Cemetery in Kyiv Oblast. Earlier, on August 18, Yevhen Konovalets, the founder of the OUN, was reinterred following permission granted by the Netherlands.

The ongoing controversy over the Ukrainian National Pantheon coincides with strained diplomatic relations between Kyiv and Warsaw, primarily due to differing views on historical memory. Poland has consistently voiced concerns regarding the commemoration of figures associated with the OUN and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA). Notably, Law and Justice party representative Michał Wójcik has expressed apprehension about the potential inclusion of controversial figures, including Stepan Bandera, within the pantheon.