60th Anniversary of Rebel Army Which Collaborated with Nazis to Be Celebrated in Western Ukraine

The parliamentary block Our Ukraine has taken the decision in the upper house of Ukraine's parliament to support the Rovenska regional administration, which has proposed celebrating the 60th anniversary of the foundation of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UIA), which fought with the Nazi's in World War II. According to representatives of Our Ukraine, the block's policy council intends to 'legally settle' the status of UIA fighters.

Earlier, political movements in Lvov, Rovno and Ivano-Frankovska have repeatedly approached Ukrainian politicians with requests to enact a law recognising UIA fighters as participants in World War II and defenders of Ukrainian independence, and conferring the honour Hero of Ukraine on some veterans of the organisation. Rovno's regional council has also made plans to hold a series of events in honour of the UIA's 60th anniversary, which is on October 14.

Representatives of Ukraine's Russian movement have called these plans 'an insult' to veterans of World War II.