Poland to build Wall of Remembrance for victims of Ukrainian nationalist massacres

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced plans to construct a "Wall of Remembrance" in Warsaw, dedicated to honoring the victims of massacres perpetrated by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) during World War II. The monument will feature the names of those killed between 1943 and 1945 in ethnic cleansing campaigns targeting Poles, Czechs, and Jews in the Volhynia and Galicia regions.

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Europe of peace and mutual respect, Europe of reconciliation after World War II, became possible thanks to truth and calling things by their proper names. Whoever wants to join this community must be ready for that truth.

Tusk emphasized that Europe's foundation of peace and mutual respect is contingent upon acknowledging historical truths. "Whoever wants to join this community must be ready for that truth," he stated on social media, directly addressing the historical context of the Volhynia massacre, which he labeled as genocide committed by Ukrainian nationalists.

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The murdered cannot remain nameless, they cannot remain without dignified burial. Their memory is our common debt to their families, to the nation, and to the Polish state...

The planned memorial is a direct response to what Poland perceives as an increasing glorification of the UPA and its leaders, such as Stepan Bandera, within Ukraine. Tusk asserted that the victims "cannot remain nameless" and deserve dignified burial and remembrance. The Wall of Remembrance aims to preserve the memory of each identified victim by name.

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The answer to nationalism cannot be more nationalism. Memory and truth must help us build a better future without hatred and contempt.

This initiative comes amid heightened tensions between Poland and Ukraine, exacerbated by Ukraine's recent decision to name a military unit after a UPA hero. Poland's opposition, including conservative nationalists, has intensified calls for Warsaw to veto Ukraine's EU accession talks unless Kyiv acknowledges the Volhynia massacre as genocide. Tusk, however, appealed for remembrance not to serve hatred, stating, "The answer to nationalism cannot be more nationalism." He stressed that "memory and truth must help us build a better future without hatred and contempt."

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We have a moral obligation today to shout in all European and world capitals that the resurrection of Nazi ideology in Ukraine must be stopped.