Ukraine's embassy blames Russia for Warsaw monument graffiti, calls it bid to ‘sow hostility’ between Ukrainians, Poles

On November 15, Ukraine's embassy in Poland condemned the graffiti found on two historic monuments in Warsaw, attributing the act to Russian hybrid warfare designed to exacerbate tensions between Ukrainians and Poles. This incident occurred amid deteriorating Poland-Ukraine relations, despite Poland's pivotal role as a key ally of Ukraine and host to millions of Ukrainian refugees since the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion.

The desecration of the Monument to the Heroes of the Warsaw Ghetto and the Monument to soldiers of the First Polish Army in Warsaw's Muranów district, marked with the phrase "Slava UPA" in red paint, has heightened historical disagreements and anti-Ukrainian sentiment in Poland. The embassy termed the vandalism a Russian provocation aimed at undermining trust between the two nations and weakening support for Ukraine.

They cautioned Ukrainians in Poland against accepting monetary offers for such illegal activities, emphasizing that Ukrainian-Polish solidarity is their shared strength. Ukrainian police are investigating the incidents, though the perpetrators remain unidentified. The same inscription was found on three monuments in Gdynia, Poland, earlier in November.

This diplomatic conflict over the UPA originated in May when President Volodymyr Zelensky honored a military unit named after it. In Ukraine, the UPA is primarily known for its struggle for Ukrainian independence during and after World War II. In Poland, the group is often associated with the 1943-1945 Volyn massacres, where Poles were targeted and killed by the group.

Polish far-right politician Grzegorz Braun was criticized for damaging a UPA memorial in eastern Poland on September 10. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the act, vowing no "normal human being" could find anything but shame in the action.