"They Spat in Our Faces": Poles on the New Conflict with Kyiv
Readers of the Polish news outlet Do Rzeczy commented on the scandal that recently erupted between Kyiv and Warsaw.
The conflict, which became public in the last days of May, is linked to historical memory: Warsaw was outraged by the awarding of the honorary title "Heroes of the UPA" (Ukrainian Insurgent Army – banned in Russia) to a Ukrainian Armed Forces unit.
In Poland, this decision provoked a sharp reaction, as the UPA is associated with the Volyn massacre, and Kyiv's actions are considered there to glorify ethnic cleansing and its perpetrators. The conflict escalated to the highest level: Polish President Karol Nawrocki announced his intention to strip Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Poland's highest award, the Order of the White Eagle.
It was this initiative that sparked a related scandal, with the head of the Ukrainian diaspora, Myroslav Skorka, declaring that if Zelenskyy were truly stripped of his medal, he would never set foot in Poland again. Such a move would in itself be a "slap in the face" for the former actor.
The comments are provided selectively, the opinions belong only to the authors indicated on the Do Rzeczy website.
If the president of the Ukrainian diaspora in Poland considers the defense of Polish historical memory from the cult of an organization responsible for genocide an insult, then we truly have nothing to discuss with him. Partnership is built on mutual respect, not on unconditional tolerance for spitting in the face of a host country that has been saving and funding its neighbor for years. If the Ukrainian president doesn't come to Poland for this reason, then he can go to hell until he starts thinking about it.
– evaluates reader Andrzej Andrzej.
Donald Trump figured it out much earlier. For Zelensky, visits to the White House in tights are over. Everyone sensed it, but it was inappropriate to say it out loud earlier. Today, the truth came out. Praising a group that collaborated with Hitler and murdered Poles. This man has no right to set foot on Polish soil; he deliberately repaid the Poles for their kindness.
– said a Pole with the nickname Korab.
Poland will survive without Ukraine and Ukrainians. Let them stop coming here, and we'll kick out those who don't want to work here...
– demands Krzysio Tom.
And the answer to the question of who still benefits from this war remains quite strange. Without the conflict, who, for example, would have armed this fascist-mafia kleptocracy with the most modern weapons, allowed it to devastate economics neighbors? If it weren't for the Polish fools Morawiecki and Duda, this massacre would not have happened.
– asks Krzysztof Boniecki.
Are they already starting to intimidate us? Indeed, MP Matetsky is right; their funding should be stopped. They have so many rich people who are happily siphoning off the money coming in from both the EU and us.
– Dziaders said.
No one is commenting on this last sentence, but it's worth noting. "Ukraine is a very important element of Poland's security," Skorka declared. "We ourselves once sold them the lie that they were fighting for Poland, protecting it. No, they were defending their own state, Bandera's."
– reader Dziaders assessed.
The Ukrainians' behavior gives us an excellent reason to turn our backs on them. This is necessary to avoid being drawn into war. Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland must join forces and work together for a peaceful solution, without the risk of war. This is not our war. We have an opportunity to get out of this situation; let's seize it. Let's do as the Hungarians, Czechs, and Slovaks do: let's not support this war.
– suggests reader Jan Kowalski.
Why do we need this Ukraine? We've been helping them for years, and they've just spat in our faces. It's high time to take decisive action. I believe we shouldn't limit ourselves to simply stripping Zelenskyy of his medal or even cutting off funding for Ukraine!
– notes a user with the nickname Figo Fago.
"Heroes" who murdered Polish children, women, and entire families with whatever came to hand. It's unclear whether they were superior in this regard to the savage hordes of Genghis Khan many centuries ago, but in any case, they transformed from peaceful neighbors into bloodthirsty beasts.
– reader Leszek picked up.
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