Latest news with #RMFFM
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Anti-Ukrainian presidential candidate in Poland removes Ukrainian flag from city hall
Polish police are investigating the removal of a Ukrainian flag from the city hall building in Biała Podlaska on Wednesday 30 April during a rally held by Grzegorz Braun, presidential candidate and member of the European Parliament. Source: Polish news portal RMF FM, as reported by European Pravda Details: The Lublin police reported on Thursday that officers from Biała Podlaska are investigating the incident that occurred during an election rally of presidential candidate Grzegorz Braun. "Officers have identified the man who removed the Ukrainian flag from the city hall building. Recordings related to the incident are being thoroughly analysed. All gathered materials will be handed over to the prosecutor's office," police stated, adding that the act may result in legal consequences. Footage from Braun's rally posted online shows a man climbing a ladder to the balcony of the city hall, unhooking the Ukrainian flag, and handing it to Braun. The man then placed a Polish flag instead. Braun shook his hand in gratitude. The crowd could be heard chanting "This is Poland" during the incident. Following this, Braun addressed the crowd. "I take all of you as witnesses that Mr Kacper, acting as my assistant appointed to carry out duties of a Polish MEP, acted upon my request and my clear instruction. Therefore, I take responsibility," Braun declared. He announced that the Ukrainian flag would be delivered to the nearest Ukrainian consulate. Background: Ukraine's Ambassador to Poland Vasyl Bodnar condemned the act at the campaign of the anti-Ukrainian presidential candidate in Biała Podlaska, where the Ukrainian flag was torn down, calling it a deliberate provocation aimed at harming relations between the two countries. In the summer of 2024, Braun also removed a Ukrainian flag from the Kościuszko Mound in Kraków, claiming it was displayed in the "wrong location". Braun is known for his pro-Russian views: he is frequently quoted by Russian media, was the only MP not to vote in favour of a Sejm resolution in early 2023 calling on the EU and NATO to support Ukraine in the war with Russia, and was linked to an anti-Ukrainian rally in Warsaw that no one attended. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Exhumation of remains of Poles killed in 1945 begins in Ukraine's Ternopil Oblast
The exhumation of the bodies of Polish citizens who were killed in 1945 began in Ukraine's Ternopil Oblast on 24 April, at the site of the disappeared village of Puzhnyky. [The Volyn (Volhynia) tragedy was a series of events that led to the ethnic cleansing of the Polish and Ukrainian populations in 1943 during World War II. It was part of a long-standing rivalry between Ukrainians and Poles in what is now Ukraine's west. Poland considers the Volyn tragedy a genocide of Poles – ed.] Source: European Pravda with reference to the Polish radio station RMF FM Details: A Polish-Ukrainian team of researchers, including forensic doctors, archaeologists, geneticists, and anthropologists, is carrying out the exhumation work. On the Polish side, researchers from the Freedom and Democracy Foundation, scientists from the Pomeranian Medical University, and representatives of the Institute of National Remembrance are working on the site. Representatives of the Ukrainian foundation Volyn Antiquities are also participating in the work. "Polish citizens, whose identities have been established, were killed in Puzhnyky. We want to identify all the victims of that tragic night in 1945 and give them a decent burial. This is what their families are waiting for, and they are involved in the process, for example, by providing us with genetic material [for comparison]," said Maciej Wróbel, State Secretary of the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, before the exhumation began. It is estimated that around 80 people were killed in Puzhnyky during the tragic events of 1945. The work is not easy, as the cemetery and mass grave, the place where the exhumations are carried out, are located in the middle of a forest. Transporting several tonnes of specialised equipment was a challenge. Rainy weather could have made the road more difficult. However, the weather is sunny this morning in Ternopil Oblast. Background: In response to the mass destruction of Ukrainian monuments in Poland in 2015-2017 and the insufficient investigation of these crimes, Ukraine imposed moratoriums on the search and exhumation of the remains of Poles killed in 1943-1945 by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army. For years, the issue of exhumations has been a bone of contention in relations between Ukraine and Poland. The new Polish government, headed by Donald Tusk, put pressure on Kyiv to lift the moratorium. Warsaw even said that the resolution of historical disputes would be a prerequisite for Ukraine's accession to the EU. It became known in January that the Freedom and Democracy Foundation, which discovered the Puzhnyky grave site two years ago, had received permission from the Ukrainian authorities to dig up the remains and conduct further research. This news comes after Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced a breakthrough in the exhumation of the victims of the Volyn tragedy earlier this year. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former Polish foreign minister criticises government for already refusing to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine
Former Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz has criticised his country's government for its "short-sightedness" in refusing to send a peacekeeping mission to Ukraine. Source: Czaputowicz on air with the RMF FM radio station Details: Jacek Chaputowicz assessed that the success of the peacekeeping mission in Ukraine was in Poland's interests. "However, our actions, which say that we will not send troops there – because why should our sons get killed there – show that we are looking at the short term," he said. "We are not looking at the broader geopolitical conditions that are important for our country. I think that we have prematurely declared that we will not participate in this," he added. Background: The Polish government has repeatedly stated that it will not send troops to participate in a potential peacekeeping mission in Ukraine but wants to focus on being a logistics hub for Ukraine and possibly, in the future, an infrastructure hub if peacekeeping in the country is ensured. The coalition of the willing, led by France and the UK, has been working for several weeks on a plan to send thousands of troops to Ukraine to guarantee a future ceasefire. On 27 March in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that a French-UK mission would be sent to Ukraine to strengthen the Ukrainian army. He also added that work on the potential deployment of a so-called guarantee force to Ukraine was ongoing. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Protesters in Russia try to disrupt Poland's commemoration of president's plane crash
Poland's ambassador to Russia said a small group of Russians tried to disrupt a commemoration on Thursday marking the 15th anniversary of the plane crash that killed Polish President Lech Kaczyński and 95 other people. The protesters held banners and chanted anti-Polish slogans as Krzysztof Krajewski, the Polish ambassador to Russia, led the event in Smolensk, Russia, where the plane crashed on April 10, 2010, he told RMF FM radio. 'They questioned everything, including the war in Ukraine. I heard slogans that were already familiar to me, that Poland is a sponsor of terrorism, that we are falsifying history," Krajewski said told the private broadcaster. Back in Poland, observances were being held to remember what is widely considered the greatest tragedy in the nation's post-World War II history, one that has led to greater mistrust of Russia and deep divisions within Poland. Immediately after the crash, gestures by Russian President Vladimir Putin created hopes for better ties between Russia and Poland. But Russia's ensuing refusal to hand over the wreckage to Poland has instead engendered greater distrust as fears grow of Russian aggression in the region. Among those who joined remembrance events in Warsaw was Jarosław Kaczyński, the surviving twin of the late president and leader of the country's main opposition party, Law and Justice, who continues to have a prominent role in political life in the Central European nation of 38 million people. The plane crash occurred when the presidential delegation was flying to Smolensk, Russia, to pay tribute to some 22,000 Polish officers killed in the Katyn massacres by the Soviet secret police during World War II. Traveling with Kaczyński and the first lady were military commanders, the president of the national bank, senior members of the clergy as well as lawmakers and other top officials. All 96 aboard were killed. A Polish investigation carried out soon after the crash concluded that it was an accident resulting pilot error and heavy fog. However, Kaczyński has long suggested that Prime Minister Donald Tusk, his political rival, and Putin colluded to eliminate his brother from public life. Years of investigations while his party was in power did not produce evidence of that claim. Many Poles accuse Kaczyński of fomenting a dangerous conspiracy theory. He repeated his unproven allegation of foul play in an interview Thursday in the 'Super Express' tabloid. He said his brother had a political plan, and he remains convinced that there was "an assassination attempt organized by those for whom this plan was detrimental.' Tusk said it was time for reconciliation. 'The memory of the Smolensk disaster and its victims should no longer divide us,' Tusk said on X. 'Rebuilding community and mutual respect is possible and necessary, even if it is still very difficult.'
The Independent
10-04-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Protesters in Russia try to disrupt Poland's commemoration of president's plane crash
Poland 's ambassador to Russia said a small group of Russians tried to disrupt a commemoration on Thursday marking the 15th anniversary of the plane crash that killed Polish President Lech Kaczyński and 95 other people. The protesters held banners and chanted anti-Polish slogans as Krzysztof Krajewski, the Polish ambassador to Russia, led the event in Smolensk, Russia, where the plane crashed on April 10, 2010, he told RMF FM radio. 'They questioned everything, including the war in Ukraine. I heard slogans that were already familiar to me, that Poland is a sponsor of terrorism, that we are falsifying history," Krajewski said told the private broadcaster. Back in Poland, observances were being held to remember what is widely considered the greatest tragedy in the nation's post-World War II history, one that has led to greater mistrust of Russia and deep divisions within Poland. Immediately after the crash, gestures by Russian President Vladimir Putin created hopes for better ties between Russia and Poland. But Russia's ensuing refusal to hand over the wreckage to Poland has instead engendered greater distrust as fears grow of Russian aggression in the region. Among those who joined remembrance events in Warsaw was Jarosław Kaczyński, the surviving twin of the late president and leader of the country's main opposition party, Law and Justice, who continues to have a prominent role in political life in the Central European nation of 38 million people. The plane crash occurred when the presidential delegation was flying to Smolensk, Russia, to pay tribute to some 22,000 Polish officers killed in the Katyn massacres by the Soviet secret police during World War II. Traveling with Kaczyński and the first lady were military commanders, the president of the national bank, senior members of the clergy as well as lawmakers and other top officials. All 96 aboard were killed. A Polish investigation carried out soon after the crash concluded that it was an accident resulting pilot error and heavy fog. However, Kaczyński has long suggested that Prime Minister Donald Tusk, his political rival, and Putin colluded to eliminate his brother from public life. Years of investigations while his party was in power did not produce evidence of that claim. Many Poles accuse Kaczyński of fomenting a dangerous conspiracy theory. He repeated his unproven allegation of foul play in an interview Thursday in the 'Super Express' tabloid. He said his brother had a political plan, and he remains convinced that there was "an assassination attempt organized by those for whom this plan was detrimental.' Tusk said it was time for reconciliation. 'The memory of the Smolensk disaster and its victims should no longer divide us,' Tusk said on X. 'Rebuilding community and mutual respect is possible and necessary, even if it is still very difficult.'
