Lublin removes Ukrainian flag from city hall after Ukrainian unit named in honor of UPA heroes

The Ukrainian flag has been removed from the city hall in Lublin in eastern Poland following Ukraine's decision to name a Special Operations Forces unit after the "Heroes of the UPA" (the Ukrainian Insurgent Army).

That is according to TVP World, Ukrinform reports.

The Ukrainian flag had flown above Lublin alongside those of Poland, and the EU since 2022, when it was raised as a gesture of solidarity following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. However, the blue-and-yellow flag was pulled down sometime between Friday and Saturday after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a decree granting the honorary title "Heroes of the UPA" to the Independent Special Operations Center "North" of Ukraine's Special Operations Forces.

Lublin city officials said that the decision to remove the flag was "directly related" to Zelensky's recent decree.

"The glorification of formations responsible for crimes against civilians harms the historical memory of our nation, wounds the memory of Polish victims, and makes it harder to build a sincere dialogue between our countries," the city said in a statement to Polish news outlet Interia.

The statement added that "regardless of this decision, Lublin remains an open and welcoming city, committed to the values that have guided its international cooperation for many years."

On May 27, Zelensky granted the honorary title "Heroes of the UPA" to a Special Operations Forces unit. The Polish Foreign Ministry criticized the decision, while the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said historical memory includes both shared achievements and difficult chapters, and that honoring UPA heroes was not directed against Poland.

Photo: Marcin Białek, wiki