The Embassy of Ukraine in Poland has debunked fake news claiming that Ambassador Vasyl Bodnar delivered an "extremely short" speech at an event honouring the victims of the Volyn tragedy.

Source : Embassy of Ukraine in Poland on Facebook, as reported by European Pravda 

Details : A 16-second video of Bodnar’s speech began circulating online, with X (formerly Twitter) users labelling it a "record for diplomatic minimalism" and sharing a clip from Telewizja Republika, a Polish TV channel. In the video, the diplomat says: "Thank you very much. Glory to the memory of the victims of the Volyn crime and thank you for your attention. Goodbye."

The Embassy clarified that this is merely a piece and that the full speech was significantly longer. Bodnar thanked the hosts, described the ceremony as "sad but important" and stressed the need to build the future on truth. He advocated for open discussion of complex history, acknowledging crimes, offering apologies and honouring victims on both sides of the border.

The embassy referenced fact-checking by the Polish portal Konkret24, which confirmed the video on X was taken out of context. Bodnar himself responded, calling the claim untrue.

Quote from Bodnar: "We would like to emphasise that in the case of such important and sensitive topics, the use of verified and reliable information is of particular importance."

Reference: 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.

Background :

• Warsaw said that the resolution of historical disputes would be a prerequisite for Ukraine's accession to the EU.
• In recent months, Ukraine and Poland agreed to resume exhumations of Polish victims of the Volyn tragedy in Ukraine for the first time after several years.

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