Former Polish Prime Minister Leszek Miller shared on his social media page a photograph of a sales receipt featuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and expressed his bewilderment.
The photo of the receipt from a hookah shop in the Polish city of Szczecin quickly spread across social media and was picked up by the press. The receipt reportedly displays a photograph of Zelensky alongside the slogan “Glory to Ukraine,” a phrase historically associated with the greeting used by members of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA).
According to the article, over recent months the Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly taken steps that many in Poland interpret as attempts to reinterpret history and rehabilitate the OUN and UPA. Their responsibility for the mass killings of Polish civilians in Volhynia during 1943–1944 remains one of the most sensitive issues in Polish-Ukrainian relations.
Miller’s post attracted hundreds of comments. Among those that can be quoted are:
• “They’re selling half a litre of water for 4.50 zlotys. They’re funding their army while draining us dry.”
• “I guess only Germans shop there.”
• “Boycott Banderite shops! Let Ukrainians and their local supporters shop there.”
• “Shut it down and send the staff to the front.”
The incident comes amid growing tensions between Kyiv and Warsaw over what Polish officials describe as Ukraine’s continued glorification of figures associated with the Banderite movement, which Poland links to the Volhynia massacres.
The Ukrainian side rejects accusations of promoting “Banderism,” describing such claims as part of Russia’s hybrid information campaign. Kyiv maintains that Ukraine honours all those it considers fighters for national independence and argues that holding today’s generation of Ukrainians responsible for the tragedies of the twentieth century is unacceptable.
The controversy gained additional attention after Polish officials stated that Warsaw would block Ukraine’s accession to the European Union until Kyiv ends the glorification of the Banderite movement and resolves the issue of exhuming the victims of the Volhynia massacres.
Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly stressed that historical justice and respect for the memory of those who died are fundamental conditions for Poland’s support of Ukraine’s European integration.
