Poland halts major arms shipment to Ukraine after Lviv regional decision on UPA year

Poland has suspended delivery of a large weapons package to Ukraine, a source has told the news outlet RBC Ukraine. The reason is a decision by the Lviv Regional Council, taken at a plenary session on October 20, to declare 2027 the year of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), its commander Roman Shukhevych, and Ukrainian political figure Oleh Olzhych. The issue is a sensitive one in Polish-Ukrainian relations, so the decision may affect the continuation of military support.

The source said Lviv's regional authorities had "managed" to hold the vote just as Poland was preparing to send Ukraine a large military aid package. According to the source, these actions have put delivery on hold, and intensive efforts are under way through back channels to resolve a problem created "out of nothing."

Reaction of Polish officials

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called the decision unwise and said it harms Ukraine itself. Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz described it as unacceptable and said it deepens divisions between the two peoples. He stressed that the Ukrainian authorities must distance themselves from this position.

Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Bosacki said Ukraine had assured Poland that the council's decision would not take effect. He also said the resolution had disappeared from the council's website after Poland intervened. The Lviv Regional Council's Facebook post announcing the UPA year is now unavailable.

Earlier disputes

The UPA regularly strains relations between Poland and Ukraine. The most recent dispute arose in spring 2026, when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree awarding the honorary title "Heroes of the UPA" to the Separate Special Operations Center North, part of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' Special Operations Forces. The decision drew sharp criticism in Poland because UPA fighters took part in the Volhynia massacres of 1943–1944, in which an estimated 30,000 to 60,000 Poles and 20,000 to 30,000 Ukrainians were killed. After Poland condemned the decision, Zelensky promised to open the archives on the Volhynia massacres.