- Category
- World
Far Right Polish MEP Spark Storm After Vandalizing UPA Memorial
Prefer U24 Media on Google
- Authors
![Photo of Katherina Popilnichenko]( "Photo of Katherina Popilnichenko")
-c439b7bd9030ecf9d5a4287dc361ba31.jpg "Photo of Katherina Popilnichenko")
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry criticized far-right Polish politician Grzegorz Braun after he posted a video showing him damaging a memorial to the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) in eastern Poland. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine reported this in a comment to the Kyiv Post.
On September 10, Braun, who is the leader of the Confederation of the Polish Crown party and known for his anti-Ukrainian views, shared a video where he and another party member smashed the monument with a hammer.
We bring you stories from the ground. Your support keeps our team in the field.
The ministry called his actions a shameful and immoral behavior that can only cause shame and condemnation in any normal person.
The memorial is located in Poland's Lublin Voivodeship, a few kilometers from the Ukrainian border, and honors UPA fighters killed in 1946 during a battle with the NKVD, the Soviet secret police. Polish media reported that other unknown individuals had also vandalized the site recently.
Pomnik UPA w gminie Dołhobyczów w powiecie hrubieszowskim do likwidacji❗️
— Grzegorz Braun (@GrzegorzBraun_) September 10, 2026
Obelisk obrażający pamięć ofiar ukraińskiego Ludobójstwa na Polakach powinien zostać usunięty profesjonalnymi narzędziami natychmiast po udokumentowaniu przestępstwa banderyzmu!#StopBanderyzacjiPolski… pic.twitter.com/8Q4QZ2z5vJ
The UPA became a focus of diplomatic disagreement between Kyiv and Warsaw earlier this year after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy named a military unit after the World War II-era group. In Ukraine, people view the underground organization mainly for its resistance against Soviet rule during and after the war.
In Poland, the group is remembered primarily for its role in the Volhynia massacres, where tens of thousands of Poles were killed in Nazi-occupied western Ukraine, along with thousands of Ukrainians killed in retaliatory attacks. Braun posted on social media that the memorial offends Polish victims of the Volhynia massacre and must be removed.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry stated that Braun turned the memory and respect for the dead into a circus show for political purposes. The ministry added that marginal political figures in Poland cannot think of anything better than to wage war on graves while a real war continues, which threatens both Ukraine and Poland.
Ukrainian officials asked Polish authorities to review the legality of Braun's actions, repair the memorial, and prevent similar incidents. The response came while Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski was visiting Kyiv.
Braun represents Poland in the European Parliament and is known for his far-right views, provocative political stunts, and criticism of the current Polish government. His party holds around 8% support in opinion polls ahead of Poland's parliamentary elections next year.
In an effort by Russian intelligence services to disrupt bilateral relations between Ukraine and Poland, a planned publication of fabricated historical documents was accompanied by a coordinated information campaign across Russian state media, the Center for Countering Disinformation reported on July 4.
Furthermore, Ukrainian officials documented a significant escalation in activity by Russian-linked bot networks, which systematically targeted Polish audiences with manipulative content and emotionally charged narratives focusing on contentious chapters of shared history.
Discuss this article:
-4a56a6b482ec132402c16ef6fcabf9a2.png)
-111f0e5095e02c02446ffed57bfb0ab1.jpeg "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
-605be766de04ba3d21b67fb76a76786a.jpg "Joseph Place")