Ukraine to establish new national pantheon as Poland warns against honouring massacre figures

Ukraine has enacted a law establishing a new national pantheon to honor Ukrainian historical heroes, although the specific individuals to be commemorated have not been determined. Poland has voiced concern that certain heroic figures included in the pantheon might be associated with massacres of Poles during World War Two. Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Bosacki expressed worry that such an inclusion could hinder Ukraine's integration into the European Union.

President Zelensky maintained that "only Ukrainians will decide who is a hero to us." The controversy stems from Poland's view of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) as a militant group responsible for the Volhynia massacres, during which approximately 100,000 Polish civilians were killed.