Lviv Administrator Informs Silesia That UPA Resolution Is Unsigned

Maksym Kozytskyi, the head of the Lviv Oblast Military Administration, wrote to Wojciech Saługa, the Marshal of Poland's Silesian Voivodeship, to state that a contested resolution is not in effect. The letter confirms that the measure designating 2027 as the Year of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army has not been signed. Therefore, it lacks legal force. The Polish Press Agency shared the letter's contents, citing the Chancellery of the Marshal of the Silesian Voivodeship.

Kozytskyi drafted the response after receiving a letter from Saługa. In the text, Kozytskyi stated that the Lviv Oblast Council resolution mentioned by the Polish official had not yet been signed. He expressed confidence that decisions made by authorities at all levels should align with Ukraine's foreign policy goals and maintain good neighborly relations with Poland. The UPA was a nationalist paramilitary group that fought for Ukrainian independence during and after World War II, primarily against Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.

The administrator acknowledged that questions of remembrance are sensitive for both the Ukrainian and Polish peoples. Kozytskyi suggested that such topics require mutual respect, openness, and a willingness to understand each other. He also pointed to the long-standing partnership between Lviv Oblast and the Silesian Voivodeship. The letter thanked the Polish region for supporting Ukraine and assisting Ukrainian citizens who found refuge in Silesia and other parts of Poland during Russia's aggression.

The exchange follows a vote taken on October 20 by the Lviv Oblast Council. The council designated 2027 as the Year of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, Roman Shukhevych, and Oleh Olzhych. Polish officials criticized the vote soon after it was announced. Prime Minister Donald Tusk later noted that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had signaled he would not support further steps by the council toward declaring 2027 the year of the UPA and Shukhevych.

Separately, Łukasz Gibała, the new mayor of Kraków, has proposed suspending the city's partnership with Lviv in response to the council's decision. The Lviv administration's clarification aims to address concerns in the Polish region regarding the status of the commemorative measure.