Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk has announced plans to erect a monument commemorating civilian victims of what he described as a “genocide” committed by Ukrainian nationalists during World War II. The announcement, made on July 11, comes amid ongoing tensions between Warsaw and Kyiv over historical grievances dating back to the war and against the backdrop of Poland’s strong support for Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion.
The planned memorial, to be located in Warsaw, will take the form of a Wall of Remembrance featuring an eternal flame and inscribed names of identified victims. Tusk emphasized the importance of acknowledging the past, stating that Poland will not forget those who died. His statement was released on the eve of the anniversary of “Bloody Sunday” in 1943, when units from the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) and the Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) killed thousands of Polish civilians in the Volhynia region, now part of northwest Ukraine.
Polish estimates place the number of Polish civilians killed by Ukrainian nationalists between 70,000 and 100,000 during 1943–1945. In turn, Polish reprisals during this period are believed to have resulted in the deaths of up to 12,000 Ukrainians. While these groups—UPA and OUN—are regarded in Ukraine as independence fighters opposing Soviet forces, their wartime actions remain deeply contentious in Poland.
Relations between the two countries have been strained further this year following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s decision in May to name a military unit after the UPA, provoking outrage in Poland. In response, Polish President Karol Nawrocki revoked Zelensky’s award of the Order of the White Eagle, Poland’s highest honor.
Despite these tensions, Tusk, who is also a former president of the European Council and a vocal supporter of Ukraine’s resistance to Russia, called for an honest reckoning with history as a foundation for reconciliation. He said, “Memory and truth must help us build a better future, without hatred and without contempt,” emphasizing that membership in a peaceful, unified Europe requires readiness to confront uncomfortable historical truths.
Parallel to Tusk’s announcement, Poland’s Defence Minister Władyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz spoke at a commemoration in Olyka, located in northwest Ukraine, underscoring the need for both nations to “move forward together” by acknowledging historical responsibilities. He stressed that the purpose of these efforts was healing rather than reopening old wounds.
In Warsaw, Ukraine’s ambassador to Poland, Vasyl Bodnar, participated in a wreath-laying ceremony honoring all World War II victims from both nations. He urged reconciliation as essential for addressing the ongoing Russian threat.
Commemorative events were also held in Chelm, a Polish border town and vital rail link to Kyiv, near the site planned for a museum dedicated to the Volhynia victims. Mayor Jakub Banaszek maintained that the observances were meant strictly as acts of remembrance and were not intended to provoke hostility toward contemporary Ukraine or its citizens.