Heroes for some, perpetrators for others

Why do Bandera and Shukhevych have streets, monuments and plaques?

In much of Ukrainian public memory Stepan Bandera and Roman Shukhevych symbolise the struggle for an independent state and armed resistance to Soviet rule. In Polish and Jewish memory they are inseparable from OUN and UPA violence against civilians. Memorials therefore reveal a real conflict of historical narratives rather than a simple dispute over names.

Why they are honoured in Ukraine

Bandera led the revolutionary faction of OUN, while Shukhevych became commander-in-chief of UPA and a leading figure of the underground. Their supporters emphasise the pursuit of Ukrainian statehood, resistance to foreign domination at different stages and the post-war fight against Soviet security forces. After 1991, and especially after Russian aggression beginning in 2014, anti-Soviet resistance gained additional symbolic power. Local authorities, civic groups and state memory institutions therefore supported some street renamings and commemorations.

Why these memorials are contested

OUN-B promoted an authoritarian and ethnically exclusive form of nationalism, and structures loyal to it were involved in political terror, antisemitic violence and the anti-Polish campaign. UPA units under Shukhevych's command participated in the mass killing and expulsion of Polish civilians. Bandera was held by the Germans during much of the 1943-1944 massacres, which matters for assessing direct control, but the movement acted in his name and within the ideology of his faction. Historical responsibility therefore has to be analysed at the level of ideology, leadership, command and direct participation.

What a monument actually tells us

A monument shows that a community, institution or political authority chose to honour a person at a particular time. It does not prove that every resident shares the same assessment, and it does not erase earlier crimes. The inscription, funder, unveiling ceremony and later political use are part of the evidence. Changes after 2014 and 2022 also show how a current war can reshape the public meaning of older historical figures.

How the atlas presents disputed figures

The atlas documents the object and the act of commemoration, not an endorsement of the honoured person. Records identify the patron, object type, location, inscription, date and sources. Separate context explains why the same person can function as an independence symbol in Ukraine and as a symbol of civilian mass violence in Polish or Jewish memory. This distinction allows the map to expose the conflict rather than reproduce either side's propaganda.

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