Kyiv Protests Poland's Effort to Ban Fascist Symbols

WARSAW — A proposed Polish law banning "Bandera symbols," linked to controversial Ukrainian nationalist Stepan Bandera, has strained ties between Poland and Ukraine, key allies in Kyiv’s war against Russia. 

Polish President Karol Nawrocki introduced the bill on Monday, arguing it would counter Russian propaganda and foster mutual respect. 

Bandera led the OUN/UPA, which allied with Nazis and committed atrocities against Poles and Jews in the 1940s, including the Volhynia and Galicia massacres, deemed genocide by Poland.

However, the proposal, equating Bandera’s imagery and the red-and-black flag of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army with Nazi and communist symbols, has sparked outrage in Ukraine. 

While revered by some Ukrainians as a liberation icon, others view him as a fascist collaborator. Ukraine’s government warned that the ban could provoke a strong response, citing risks of equating Ukrainian symbols with totalitarian regimes.

Despite Poland’s support for Ukraine, historical tensions persist. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has cautiously addressed the issue, honoring massacre victims in 2023 without naming perpetrators.

In 2022, Poland censured the Ukrainian parliament for glorifying Bandera on its official Twitter account. "The glorification of Stepan Bandera, the ideologist of Ukrainian nationalists, who killed tens of thousands of Poles in Volhynia, is unacceptable,” the Polish prime minister said at the time.

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