Polish presidential candidate makes provocation in Lviv and threatens Lviv mayor not to let him into country
The anti-Ukrainian presidential candidate from the Ukrainophobic Confederation party, Sławomir Mentzen, visited Lviv and recorded a provocative video, which he posted on social media.
Mentzen visited Ukraine on the anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion. He arrived with Anna Bryłka, a European Parliament member from the Confederation party, who recently stated that Poland should have a "guarantee of return" from Ukraine for aid received.
Polish politicians recorded a video from under the monument to Stepan Bandera, in which Mentzen said that Bandera was "a terrorist who was sentenced to death by a Polish court for killing Poles during the Second Polish Republic". [Stepan Bandera was a Ukrainian nationalist leader and a key figure in the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), advocating for Ukraine’s independence during the 20th century. His legacy remains highly controversial, as he is viewed as a hero by many Ukrainians for his fight against Soviet and Nazi occupation, while others criticize his movement’s tactics and associations – ed.]
"Then he founded the Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists, which is responsible for the massacres in Volyn. This man's people killed 100,000 Poles," Mentzen said.
Ukraińcy dalej czczą zbrodniarzy odpowiedzialnych za zabicie 100 tysięcy Polaków! pic.twitter.com/q3Sqa6F2Io
– Sławomir Mentzen (@SlawomirMentzen) February 25, 2025
Bryłka, in turn, added that the monument to Bandera in Ukraine is the same as if monuments to Hitler were built in Germany.
Mentzen also visited the Cemetery of Eaglets in Lviv, where he laid flowers. [The Lviv Eaglets were young Polish soldiers, many of them teenagers, who defended Lviv during the Polish-Ukrainian War (1918–1919) and later against the Bolsheviks in the Polish-Soviet war (1919-1920). They are buried in the Cemetery of the Defenders of Lviv, which honours those who fought for Poland in these conflicts – ed.]
Będąc we Lwowie wraz z @annabrylka złożyliśmy kwiaty na Cmentarzu Orląt Lwowskich.
– Sławomir Mentzen (@SlawomirMentzen) February 25, 2025
Jako Prezydent RP zrobię wszystko, żeby nie musiały powstawać żadne nowe polskie cmentarze wojskowe. Nie pozwolę na wysłanie polskich żołnierzy na Ukrainę! pic.twitter.com/P1fYk9Ce5T
"As President of the Republic of Poland, I will do everything to ensure that there is not a single new Polish military cemetery. I will not allow Polish soldiers to be sent to Ukraine!"
Mayor of Lviv Andrii Sadovyi, reacted sharply to such actions of Polish politicians. He called Mentzen a "pro-Russian politician with a Polish passport". Sadovyi wrote on X that Mentzen should show courage and record a video near the Donetsk stele.
"He can go to the line of contact and share his thoughts, in particular with Polish volunteers. We need to check whether he is allowed to enter Ukraine at all," Sadovyi said.
Mentzen responded to Sadovyi's publication with another provocative statement in X. He said: "I am a Pole and I went to the beautiful and cultural Polish city of Lviv, which was once damaged by the Russians".
"I saw a monument to Bandera, the cult of Bandera's criminals led by Shukhevych. You should be ashamed that in such a wonderful city you agree to the cult of genocidaires, criminals and murderers of my compatriots. You should be banned from entering Poland," he added.
He said that if he wins the election, he would "immediately deal" with the issue of banning Andrii Sadovyi from entering Poland.
Earlier, it was reported that Mentzen had recently increased his position in the rating of trust in politicians.
However, Mentzen is not a leader in the presidential ratings, where Rafał Trzaskowski and Karol Nawrocki are considered favourites.