Lviv governor says council resolution declaring 2027 the year of the UPA remains unsigned and has no legal force
Maksym Kozytskyi told Marshal of Silesian Voivodeship Wojciech Saluga that the Lviv Regional Council resolution declaring 2027 the year of the UPA, Roman Shukhevych and Oleh Olzhych has not been signed and has not entered into force. Kozytskyi said authorities at all levels must consider Ukraine's foreign-policy interests and good-neighbour relations with Poland. The statement came amid sharp Polish criticism and a dispute over whether military assistance to Ukraine was suspended.
Key points
- The Lviv Regional Council voted on 20 October to declare 2027 the year of Roman Shukhevych, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army and Oleh Olzhych.
- Maksym Kozytskyi wrote to Silesian Voivodeship Marshal Wojciech Saluga that the resolution remains unsigned and has no legal force.
- Poland's Defence Ministry denied media reports that a military aid package to Ukraine had been suspended over the Lviv council decision.
- Krakow mayor Lukasz Ghibala proposed suspending partnership relations with Lviv and prepared a decision on their temporary suspension.
- Warsaw reportedly paused talks on further financial support for Ukraine.
- Ukraine's Foreign Ministry called the council decision counterproductive for efforts to build Ukrainian-Polish relations.
- Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski signed an order adding Lviv councillor and resolution initiator Sviatoslav Sheremet to Poland's list of undesirable persons.
Why it matters
The Lviv council decision triggered criticism from Polish officials, threatened local partnerships between Lviv and Polish cities and reportedly affected discussions on further Polish financial support for Ukraine. Kozytskyi's statement that the resolution was never signed and has no legal force was intended to limit the international fallout of the vote.
What happened
On 20 October, the Lviv Regional Council voted to declare 2027 the year of Roman Shukhevych, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army and Oleh Olzhych. In a letter to Wojciech Saluga, Marshal of Silesian Voivodeship, Lviv Regional Military Administration head Maksym Kozytskyi said the resolution had not been signed and had not entered into force. He stressed that decisions by authorities at all levels should consider Ukraine's foreign-policy interests and good-neighbour relations with Poland. Kozytskyi acknowledged the sensitivity of historical memory for both Ukrainian and Polish peoples and called for discussion in an atmosphere of mutual respect, openness and readiness for compromise. He also thanked Silesian Voivodeship for its longstanding partnership with Ukraine, support for residents of Lviv Oblast and assistance to Ukrainian citizens who found refuge in the voivodeship and Poland during Russia's aggression. The move came after Polish cities suspended or proposed suspending cooperation with Lviv, Warsaw paused talks on further financial support and Poland's Foreign Ministry imposed a five-year Schengen entry ban on Lviv councillor Sviatoslav Sheremet.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian reporting centred on Kozytskyi's letter to Saluga and the fact that the resolution has no legal force. The coverage stressed the need to consider Ukraine's foreign-policy interests and relations with Poland, the sensitivity of historical memory for both peoples, and the Foreign Ministry's position that the decision was counterproductive for Ukrainian-Polish relations.
How international sources describe it
Polish leaders and officials described the decision as scandalous, unacceptable and harmful to Ukraine's interests, while pointing to the possible suspension of city partnerships and its effect on talks about financial support. The issue also affected individual and municipal relations, as Krakow moved to suspend its partnership with Lviv and Poland added Sviatoslav Sheremet to its list of undesirable persons.
Where reporting differs
Several Ukrainian media outlets reported on 21 October that Poland had halted the transfer of a military aid package to Ukraine because of the Lviv Regional Council decision. Poland's Defence Ministry denied that information.
Background
Before the vote, Lviv councillors did not consult the Foreign Ministry or other central government agencies about possible consequences. In response to the decision, the mayors of Krakow and Przemyśl proposed or approved suspending cooperation with Lviv, while the Polish government reportedly paused talks on further financial support for Ukraine. In his letter, Kozytskyi thanked Silesian Voivodeship for supporting Ukraine and helping residents of Lviv Oblast and Ukrainian citizens who found shelter in the voivodeship and Poland during Russia's aggression.