“Glory to the UPA” inscriptions were painted in red on two monuments in Warsaw, and the Ukrainian Embassy in Poland described the incident as an act of Russia’s hybrid warfare. Polish police received two reports of the desecration of the monuments and launched preliminary investigative proceedings.
One inscription was discovered on the monument to the heroes of the Warsaw Ghetto near the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews. The second was found on the monument to a soldier of the First Army of the Polish People’s Army at the Political Prisoners of Stalinism Square in the Muranów district.
Embassy: The aim is to foment hostility
In a statement published on Saturday, the Ukrainian Embassy condemned “this shameful provocation, as well as any acts of vandalism, the desecration of monuments and similar actions”.
According to Ukrainian diplomats, the aim of the provocation is to sow hostility between Ukrainians and Poles, undermine mutual trust and weaken support for Ukraine.
The embassy called on Ukrainians in Poland not to accept offers of “easy money” in exchange for painting inscriptions, damaging property or committing other illegal acts.
“Let us respect the laws of the country in which we reside, historical memory and the dignity of others. Ukrainian-Polish solidarity is our common strength. Let us not allow the enemy to destroy it,” the appeal said.Similar inscriptions in other cities as well
The case in Warsaw is not isolated. According to Polish media, 11 more historic monuments in Warsaw, Gdynia and Poznań were damaged in a similar manner over the past week. Three monuments were affected in Gdynia, and they too were marked with the inscription “Glory to the UPA”.
So far, there has been no publicly released information about any people being detained or charged. The investigation is ongoing, and the Ukrainian Embassy said it expects the perpetrators to be identified and held accountable.
Sources: pravda.com.ua, eurointegration.com.ua, tvn24.pl