Polish defense minister outraged over UPA flags on equipment sent to Ukraine
Photo: Polish Minister of Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz (Getty Images)
In Poland, outrage was sparked by red-and-black UPA flags on armored personnel carriers handed over to Ukraine. Warsaw called it a provocation, according to Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz on X.
The WarNewsPl profile on the X platform posted a video showing red-and-black flags of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army on a Polish Rosomak armored personnel carrier.
— WarNewsPL (@WarNewsPL1) December 20, 2024
Banderowskie flagi na dostarczonych Ukraińcom przez Polskę KTO Rosomak…
@MON_GOV_PL @MSZ_RP prosimy o interwencję. pic.twitter.com/rCJaUlkF6H
"UPA flags on Rosomak armored personnel carriers supplied by Poland to the Ukrainian army are a provocation that should not have occurred," wrote the minister.
The Polish defense minister instructed an urgent meeting with the Ukrainian attaché in Warsaw to address the matter.
Earlier reports indicated that Poland had supplied Ukraine with about 100 Rosomak armored personnel carriers.
Historical tensions between Ukraine and Poland
During World War II, under German occupation, several partisan groups operated on Ukrainian territory, including the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) and the Polish Home Army (Armia Krajowa), primarily active in the Volhynia region.
In 1943–1944, ethnic cleansings of Ukrainians and Poles occurred, known as the Volhynia tragedy. The names of approximately 30,000 Polish and 10,000 Ukrainian victims have been documented.
Poland has linked Ukraine’s EU accession to addressing the Volhynia issue. For more details about the Volhynia tragedy and the reasons for the differences between Ukraine and Poland, refer to RBC-Ukraine's report.
