Poland’s PM Announces National Memorial for Volyn Genocide Victims

Sun Sep 06 2026 03:08:43 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Prime Minister Donald Tusk pledges a national memorial for the 100,000 Polish civilians killed by Ukrainian nationalist forces during World War II.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk declared the creation of a national memorial to honour victims of the Volyn massacre, which Poland still treats as a genocide. The announcement comes amid long‑standing tensions with Kyiv, where the Ukrainian Insurgent Army is viewed as a heroic resistance. Tusk urged Ukraine to acknowledge historical facts to pave a way toward EU membership, while Ukraine’s officials labelled the Polish move a strategic mistake. The memorial is to be unveiled the next anniversary of the massacre, potentially offering a painful but crucial step toward historical reconciliation.

Poland’s PM Announces National Memorial for Volyn Genocide Victims

On Friday, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced a new national memorial to honour the estimated 100,000 ethnic Poles who were killed by Ukrainian nationalists during the Volyn massacre. The decree was issued on the anniversary of the atrocity, which the Polish state still calls a genocide.

A solemn ceremony in Warsaw and several other Polish cities commemorated the victims. The event highlighted the painful history that has long divided Warsaw and Kyiv, where Ukrainians regard the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) as freedom fighters.

In his speech, Tusk framed the memorial as “truth and a path toward a better future.” He urged Ukraine to accept the facts about the killings if it wants to pursue EU membership. “Memory cannot serve hatred; the answer to nationalism is not more nationalism,” he said.

The announcement follows diplomatic tensions that erupted this spring when President Zelensky stripped Poland of its highest honour for naming a Ukrainian unit after the UPA. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister described Warsaw’s move as a “strategic mistake,” and three former Ukrainian presidents returned Polish awards in solidarity with the president.

The Ukrainian president confirmed that Polish and Ukrainian representatives had joined together in prayer to commemorate the victims, adding that Russia remains a mortal threat to both nations.

The memorial, set to be unveiled on the next anniversary of the Volyn massacre, may prove a contentious but necessary step toward the transparent reckoning of history between the two countries.