The discourse surrounding Volhynia that exists in Poland largely mirrors Russian efforts, including propaganda efforts, in which the issue of Volhynia is linked to the UPA, Ukrainian nationalism, and the portrayal of Ukraine as a “nationalist state.” This Putin-style discourse, in a somewhat lighter version, is also present in Poland.
Polish expert Kazimierz Woycicki said this in a comment to Guildhall.
“I would say that the discourse on Volhynia in Poland is, unfortunately, very similar to the Moscow scheme: Volhynia means the UPA, the UPA means extremists, the UPA is popular in Ukraine, therefore Ukraine is a nationalist state. This is Putin’s discourse,” Woycicki said.
According to him, a similar narrative also exists in a lighter form in the Polish public sphere.
“This Putin-style discourse, in what one might call a lighter version, also exists in Poland,” the expert noted.
Woycicki stressed that the Polish-Ukrainian discussion is excessively focused on Volhynia, while there is a much broader range of shared issues between the two countries.
“To keep talking only about Volhynia 80 years after the war is simply foolish. Especially since Poles and Ukrainians have a long shared history. There are various difficult issues in it, but there are also very interesting issues, very interesting for Europe. And we do not talk about them; we talk only about Volhynia,” he said.
The expert also stated that Russia exploits historical disagreements between Poland and Ukraine and promotes a narrative in Polish society portraying Ukraine as a nationalist state.
“One of Russia’s most important instruments, its weapon, is this kind of narrative for Polish society: that Ukraine is nationalist. This is not true, because there are no nationalist parties in the Verkhovna Rada. But we constantly hear ‘nationalists,’ ‘Bandera,’ and so on. This continues,” Woycicki noted.
According to him, this narrative is an instrument of Russian influence that Poland and Ukraine should counter together.
“This narrative is Russia’s weapon, and we need to defend ourselves against it. Perhaps the most important thing is to do this together,” the expert concluded.
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