Putin and Zakharova talked about Poland. In the background there is a storm around the “UPA heroes”
— Why denazify Ukraine? Listen, dear colleagues, everyone has seen it, but almost no one talks about it. Take, for example, the reburial of the Nazis and nationalists who exterminated Jews, Poles and Russians in Ukraine during World War II. How many? I think 1 million Jews were killed in Ukraine. A million innocent people. And now in Ukraine their remains have been reburied with military honors and salutes as heroes of Ukraine. Only Poland reacted sluggishly. Israel was even more lethargic. Everyone is trying to ignore it, Putin said.
– And who does it? The current leader of the regime in Kiev. He is Jewish. His grandfather, who fought against Nazism, is probably turning in his grave, the Russian leader added.
Putin referred to the recent events in Ukraine. Let us recall that on May 25, the ashes of one of the leaders of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), Andriy Melnyk, were buried at the National Military Cemetery of Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky took part in the celebrations and stated that Melnyk fought for Ukraine to be free.
Maria Zakharowa about Poland and the UPA
Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also spoke about Poland. In St. Petersburg, she referred to the controversial decision to name a Ukrainian army unit after the “UPA Heroes”. In her opinion, the clashes between Poland and Ukraine are “toad picking”.
— Suddenly, the Polish authorities realized that the regime in Kiev was glorifying collaborators who actually killed Poles during World War II. (…) Where were you before [Warszawo]? You didn't see the chevrons [naszywka na mundurze]tattoos? Don't know literature? Don't you know the names of the extremist regiments that have now become part of the Ukrainian army? Haven't you seen anything like this? – said the spokeswoman of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Ukrainian Insurgent Army is responsible for the extermination of the Polish population in Volhynia. In July 1943, the UPA launched a coordinated attack on approximately 150 towns inhabited by Poles in the Włodzimierz, Horochów, Kovel and Lutsk counties of the former Volhynian Voivodeship in present-day Ukraine. The perpetrators of the crime, which is also called the Volhynia massacre, were members of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) – B (Bandera's faction) and the UPA subordinated to it.
