Is now really the best time to proceed with it?

As reported by the press service of the Lviv Oblast State Administration (LOSA), former head of the LOSA Iryna Sekh has appealed to Petro Poroshenko, asking him to posthumously confer the honorary title of Hero of Ukraine upon head of the leadership of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists Stepan Bandera and commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army Roman Shukhevych. The official’s appeal reads: “I ask you to posthumously confer the honorary title of Hero of Ukraine upon Stepan Bandera and Roman Shukhevych in recognition of their courage and self-sacrifice, demonstrated when fighting in the Ukrainian national liberation struggle.”

Sekh acted on request of representatives of Lviv regional branch of the Union of Political Prisoners of Ukraine and Lviv city branch of the All-Ukrainian Association of Veterans, who urged the governor to appeal to the president of Ukraine on the matter of reissuing the decree “On Conferring the Title of Hero of Ukraine upon Stepan Bandera and Roman Shukhevych.”

Let us recall that a 2011 decision of the Supreme Administrative Court of Ukraine has invalidated the presidential decrees issued on October 12, 2007 and January 20, 2010 which conferred the title of Hero of Ukraine upon Shukhevych and Bandera.

COMMENTARY

Yurii SHVEDA, political analyst, Lviv:

“The LOSA head Iryna Sekh’s appeal was met with smiles rather than surprise. Somehow, the political force which she represents [the All-Ukrainian Union ‘Svoboda.’ – Ed.] has always been coming forward with initiatives that look as the Kremlin’s brainchildren, because they cause nothing but growing strife. This is particularly surprising in the current situation when there is a war in the east of Ukraine and every mistaken word by a politician is tantamount to a stab in the nation’s back. It takes no great thinker to understand what reaction this request will prompt in the east of our state, and how the Kremlin media will milk it. For them, it is a good illustration for the Western audience of the Ukrainian fascism that takes revenge on ‘poor Russian-speaking citizens.’ However, the stance of Sekh who has alienated virtually the entire region, and ultimately that of the Svoboda party too, is not even irritating the Galicians anymore, but only causing them to commiserate with these people.”