Lviv Regional Council declares 2027 the year of the UPA, Shukhevych and Olzhych

Lviv Regional Council has declared 2027 the year of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), its commander Roman Shukhevych, and the poet and activist of the Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) Oleh Olzhych. The decision was taken at the council's plenary session on Tuesday 20 October 2026, according to the council's official website.

What the council decided

The resolution covers three elements of Ukrainian historical memory: the UPA itself, Shukhevych, who headed the formation, and Olzhych. Svyatoslav Sheremeta, head of the culture committee and a council deputy, spoke during the session. According to the council's statement, he said: "This is our history, our heroes, and we should properly honour their memory."

Historical background

In July 1943, UPA units carried out coordinated attacks on around 150 settlements inhabited by Poles in Volhynia. Those held responsible are members of the OUN linked to the faction of Stepan Bandera and the UPA subordinate to it. Poland recognises these crimes as genocide.

In Ukrainian historical memory, by contrast, the OUN and UPA are often presented as organisations that fought for Ukrainian independence and resisted the Soviet Union after the war. Differing assessments of these events have long affected relations between the two countries.

Reaction of the IPN

Poland's Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) responded to the resolution. In a post on X, it said that declaring 2027 the year of Shukhevych was a "blow against the memory" of the victims of the genocide carried out on his orders. The IPN called the UPA commander an "architect" of the Volhynia crimes. It also recalled his part in the cooperation of Ukrainian nationalists with the Germans, including service in the Nachtigall battalion. In the institute's view, the decision is part of a long-running effort to build an official cult of Shukhevych and representatives of radical Ukrainian nationalism.

Zelensky on relations with Poland

The council's decision came a few days after a statement by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. On Saturday 17 October 2026 he thanked Poland and Poles for their support. He stressed that the two countries should strengthen cooperation in the face of the threat from Russia.

Answering journalists' questions via a WhatsApp group, Zelensky said that relations with Poland had indeed improved. He added that disputed issues should be resolved more calmly and that cooperation should be based on mutual respect. He also spoke positively of his Thursday meeting with Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Brussels, held on the sidelines of the European Union summit.

The sources do not say whether the Polish or Ukrainian government has responded to the Lviv council's resolution.