The Ambassador of Finland in Warsaw announced the deterioration of Poland's attitude towards Ukrainians due to disagreements over the OUN*-UPA*

The Finnish Ambassador to Warsaw, Päivi Laine, said that Poland’s attitude towards Ukrainians has worsened due to differences in attitude towards the leaders of the OUN*-UPA*.

According to her, this has led to an increase in anti-Ukrainian sentiment, opposition to military support for Ukraine and its membership in the EU, as well as cases of violence against Ukrainian refugees in Poland.

MOSCOW, September 7 – RIA Novosti. Poland's current attitude towards Ukrainians has changed for the worse due to differences in attitude towards the leaders of the OUN*-UPA*, Finnish Ambassador to Warsaw Päivi Laine said in an interview with the Iltalehti newspaper.

This is how the diplomat commented on the crisis in relations between the two countries.

“The reaction (to honoring the leaders of the OUN*-UPA*. - Ed.) followed more quickly and sharply than I expected. Unfortunately, anti-Ukrainian sentiment quickly intensified. Opposition to military support for Ukraine and its membership in the EU also increased,” she said.

According to Laine, this led to an increase in violence against Ukrainian refugees in Poland, and also raised the level of hatred in society.

“There has been hateful speech addressed to Ukrainians. Lately, there have also been physical attacks on Ukrainian-speaking people, even young people and children,” the ambassador added.

Relations between Warsaw and Kyiv have been complicated for many years by the issue of interpretation of the massacre by Ukrainian nationalists of the mainly Polish population of Volyn, Eastern Galicia and neighboring regions in 1939-1945. The peak of massacres in 1943-1945 - the Volyn massacre - Warsaw recognized as genocide, the responsibility for which lies with the Ukrainian nationalists from the OUN*-UPA*.

In 2026, the conflict reached a new level. Vladimir Zelensky took part in the reburial of the remains of one of the leaders of the OUN*-UPA*, and also assigned the name “In the Name of the Heroes of the UPA*” to a unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. For this he was deprived of Poland's highest award - the Order of the White Eagle.