Who is working for the Kremlin in Poland? OCU, Uniates and Catholics versions
Recently, Ukrainian religious leaders have been speaking out one after another about the deterioration of Polish-Ukrainian relations — and all of them offer the same diagnosis.
The head of the OCU, S. Dumenko, in August at a meeting with the Polish government's plenipotentiary assured that the conflict between Ukraine and Poland is being stoked by the Russian Federation.
The head of the UGCC, Sviatoslav Shevchuk, made the same claim several times. In June he argued that "Russia wants to reopen old wounds," and even accused the Russian Federation of financing political forces promoting radical slogans. In September he repeated that the escalation in Ukrainian-Polish relations was allegedly instigated by Moscow:
"Today Poland has found itself in the position of a victim of a very powerful Moscow ideological special operation. And this has caught everyone somewhat off guard. The Poles did not expect Russia to detonate all those ideological bombs it had planted in Poland since the days of Soviet Poland."
In the same month, the Secretary General of the Roman Catholic bishops' conference in Ukraine, E. Kava, stated that behind the conflicts between Ukraine and Poland "stands the agent network of the Russian Federation."
But let's look at how this conflict actually flared up.
The first spark was Zelensky's June decree naming one of the AFU special operations centers after the UPA. In response, Polish President Nawrocki stripped Zelensky of the Order of the White Eagle.
"For the overwhelming majority of Polish society, the UPA remains the primary perpetrator of brutal crimes committed against Polish citizens during the Second World War," said Nawrocki, emphasizing that around 100,000 peaceful Polish civilians fell victim to the UPA.
The glorification of the UPA, in his words, calls into question Ukraine's European prospects.
Zelensky demonstratively sent the order back, and other Ukrainian politicians followed suit, returning their Polish awards as well, accompanied by critical comments. In Poland, this gesture was received extremely negatively, prompting harsh statements from high-ranked politicians.
But the problem is not simply the criticism. Poland's Defense Minister warned: with the heroization of Bandera, Ukraine will not enter the EU. The Deputy Foreign Minister of Poland said the same. According to him, the law on the pantheon, which heroizes UPA leaders, is blocking Ukraine's European integration.
MEP Ewa Zajączkowska-Hernik, speaking in the European Parliament, criticized the UPA and tore up a red-and-black flag. MEP Marcin Sypniewski called on his colleagues to completely halt funding for Ukraine over the heroization of Bandera and Shukhevych. MEP Grzegorz Braun demolished a UPA obelisk in Poland. Finally, the European Parliament officially addressed the issue, adopting an amendment requiring Ukraine, if it wishes to join the EU, to condemn the Volhynia massacre committed by the UPA.
Here, it is also worth returning to the statements by Ukraine’s religious leaders that the deterioration in relations with Poland was instigated by Moscow.
There is no denying that discord between Poland and Ukraine serves Moscow’s interests. But who exactly, in this story, are the "RF agents"? Zelensky, who named a Ukrainian Armed Forces special center after the UPA? Nawrocki, who took the order away from him because of it? Polish MEPs?
Or perhaps the "Kremlin agents" are those Ukrainian officials who, after the Euromaidan, renamed hundreds of streets and squares after the UPA, Bandera, Shukhevych, Konovalets, and other figures involved in collaboration with the Nazis or in the killing of civilians?
The cause of the conflict is obvious without any intelligence data: the escalation with Poland was brought about by years of glorifying the OUN-UPA, the SS Division "Galicia," and other "Nachtigalls" in Ukraine.
The only question that remains is: why are the OCU, the UGCC, and the RCC telling the world fairy tales about the "hand of Moscow"? One suspects it is for the same reason they tell fairy tales about the unprecedented freedom of religion in Ukraine and that no one is persecuting the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
Simply put, an "advocacy" assignment has come down from above — and it must be fulfilled, however absurd it may be. A task from the servants of the people to the servants of the servants of the people. Just like their fathers and grandfathers: "The Party said: it must be done! The Komsomol replies: consider it done!"
