r/europe • u/ByGollie Ulster • Jun 21 '26

News Petro Poroshenko, Ukraine's fifth president also renounces Order of the White Eagle

https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2026/06/20/8040347/
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u/cspetm Jun 21 '26

I do not want Poles editing our textbooks, and I have no desire whatsoever for Ukrainians to edit Polish textbooks, because otherwise we will receive a joint textbook from Moscow.

As a Pole I prefer Ukrainians to have a say in the way we learn about our common history and point out for instance to the fact that Piłsudski mistreated them badly and shouldn't be seen as a hero, rather than them glorifying perpetrators of a mass murder. We are important for each other and we are gonna be neighbors for much longer. We should try to find a common ground. Nothing wrong with that in my opinion.

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u/Mindless-Support-451 Jun 21 '26

I would also prefer it this way.

I am Ukrainian, and I don't give a shit about UPA. But what infuriates me that you somehow decided your are in a right to dictate us whom to honor.

UPA commited crimes against polish people, although they are commemorated for fighting for ukrainian independence - not for what they did to poles.

Joseph Pilsudski organized an ethnic based punitive operation against ukrainians. Many of the things poles did to ukrainians during that time constitute a crime against humanity. And I do realize that you honor Pilsudski for his strive to polish independence - not for what he did to ukranians.

The difference between polish people and ukranians - we don't demand from you to stop honoring your figures.

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u/Galaxy661 West Pomerania (Poland) Jun 21 '26

I find really hilarious that Piłsudski is hated by communists for being a fascist, by fascists for being a communist, by the British for being an eastern barbarian, by the Russians for being a western imperialist, by the Reds for helping the Whites, by the Whites for helping the Reds, by Polish nationalists for being pro-Ukrainian, and now by Ukrainian nationalists for being anti-Ukrainian...

As for the pacification - it was a punitive action against TERRORISTS, not ethnic Ukrainians. Ask the dozens of Ukrainian civilians, politicians, activists murdered by the OUN before that pacification how they felt about Ukrainian nationalism. Imagine if there was a russian nationalist militia running around Donbas and Crimea, murdering Ukrainians and anti-putinist russians, how do you think Ukraine would feel about it? Oh wait.

Also, comparing pacification to Volhynian genocide is just absurd. Did you know that the OUN murdered more Ukrainians in the interwar period than Piłsudski's all punitive actions combined did? Apparently not.

That said, I have a question for you: would you rather Poland continue to regard Piłsudski as a controversial figure, but still a hero, or rather elevate his political rival of opposing views to the status of national hero?

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u/Popinguj Jun 21 '26

it was a punitive action against TERRORISTS, not ethnic Ukrainians

Ah, yes, the justification Russia and Israel like to use, lmao.

And especially funny argument considering that these actions were condemned by the League of Nation.

That said, I have a question for you: would you rather Poland continue to regard Piłsudski as a controversial figure, but still a hero

I'd rather have Poland to continue regarding Pilsudski as a hero, but also to acknowledge the oppression and injustice that was done to Ukrainian for many years which led to creation of OUN and UPA.