Polish opposition MPs propose march in Lviv — authorities accuse them of playing into Putin's hands

A group of 21 Polish Sejm deputies from the PiS, Confederation and Poland 2050 parties has sent the prime minister a formal inquiry proposing official celebrations of Poland's National Independence Day in Lviv, including a march through the streets of the Ukrainian city. The initiative was reported by the newspaper Rzeczpospolita.

According to the authors of the request, such a march would pay tribute to the Polish history of Lviv, once a hub of Poland's lost eastern territories. The event, they argued, would demonstrate support for the Poles still living there and show that Poland has not forgotten its compatriots abroad.

The deputies also compared the proposed action to events already held in Poland in support of Ukraine and funded by Polish state institutions. However, the outlet Wprost noted that the authors of the initiative provided no figures or evidence regarding the actual scale of aid given to Ukraine — the request relies solely on their own estimates.

Sharp reaction from authorities

The proposal sparked outrage within the ruling coalition. "If they want to go to Lviv, let them help clear the rubble, do something useful. And if they have the courage, let them go to Moscow instead," said Sejm Deputy Speaker Piotr Zgorzelski. He argued that there could be no better gift for Putin than such a request. "This is simply a scandal and unacceptable," he added.

Lviv is located in Ukraine, where war continues and Russian strikes have not stopped. The request itself contains no plan for how to ensure the march could take place under such conditions — it merely raises questions for the government about obtaining Ukrainian authorities' consent and organizing the event. The mere submission of the letter does not necessarily mean the march is actually being prepared: sources cited by the TV channel TVN24 suggested it could be a provocation.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz