How Poland's authorities have turned a historical dispute with Ukraine into a political tool
It has been hard to ignore how Poland's rhetoric towards Ukraine has changed in the last months.
The headlines of leading Ukrainian and Polish outlets were filled with sharp quotes from Polish politicians demanding historical justice, understanding and permissions for research and exhumations of the victims of the Volyn tragedy. [The Volyn tragedy was a series of events that led to the ethnic cleansing of the Polish and Ukrainian populations in 1943 during World War II. It was part of a long-standing rivalry between Ukrainians and Poles in what is now Ukraine's west. Poland considers the Volyn tragedy a genocide of Poles – ed.]
Some international analysts have even suggested that Poland might try to block or slow down Ukraine's European integration if our society and political leaders do not make concessions on historical issues.
Read more details on the matter and possible solutions in the article by Anton Drobovych, head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory – Pressure instead of understanding: Why Poland is not interested in compromising with Ukraine on history.
The Volyn tragedy is one of the tough topics in Ukraine-Poland relations.
The issue is not only about how to characterise the events of the ethnic conflict between Ukrainian and Polish resistance organisations in 1943-1945 but also about the conflict's causes, the number of victims and even the procedures for honouring them today.
This is, obviously, a field where experts, not politicians, should take the lead, especially if the goal is to understand the events, resolve complex issues and honour the dead.
However, given recent Polish media coverage, most of the statements and resonant comments have been made by politicians, who have focused selectively on a very specific aspect – search and exhumation works.
This points to possible attempts to politicise historical and memorial issues.
Meanwhile, the Polish side almost completely ignores why Ukraine has been reluctant to grant permissions for various types of work. This reluctance is due to the fact that since 2015, Ukrainian graves in Poland have not been restored after acts of vandalism.
Last month, I had a conversation with a member of the Polish Sejm from the Law and Justic party (PiS), who shared a straightforward view: as long as non-compliance with obligations by Poland appears as a strong stance, no one will abandon it.
Under such circumstances, Poland’s failure to fulfil its obligations and the lack of restoration of damaged graves, without much attention in Polish media, could be a deliberate tactic.
As a result, Ukraine’s refusal or reluctance to issue permits to the Polish side, which does not meet its commitments, is highlighted in the Polish media and politicised. This becomes a useful media tactic because it outrages ordinary voters and boosts the popularity of the most fervent "defenders of historical truth."
The saddest part of this story is that over the past decade, primarily due to the position of Polish conservative politicians, the powerful principle of "forgiving and asking for forgiveness" has been unilaterally rejected by the Polish side and replaced with a stance of constant claims and demands.
In the end, we are left with a situation where a significant part of Polish society has been "stirred up" by politicians and holds a painful and hostile attitude toward Ukrainians on historical issues. Meanwhile, most Ukrainians are largely uninterested in these historical pages and have few serious historical grievances against the Poles.
However, this tactic by Polish politicians could lead to the rise of resentment among the broader Ukrainian public.
If we wish well for both Ukrainians and Poles, we should finally move toward constructive and expert actions – fewer political statements and more real deeds.