Concert in Warsaw sparks controversy over nationalist flag, straining Poland-Ukraine relations

A sold-out show by Belarusian Russian-language artist Maks Korzh at Warsaw’s National Stadium brought together 60,000 mostly Ukrainian and post-Soviet fans. What followed was a wave of offences, while the display of a red-and-black flag linked to Ukraine’s nationalist past sparked fierce debate in Poland, fuelling nationalist rhetoric and straining bilateral relations.

The Saturday (9 August) concert of Belarusian performer became one of the main topics in Polish media and social networks. Ukrainians made up a significant portion of the audience, showing that despite Russia’s full-scale aggression, there remains a considerable number of fans of Russian-language music among them.

Following the concert, reports emerged of incidents involving public order offences. Police opened deportation cases against 63 people, including 57 Ukrainian citizens. These figures triggered a wave of generalisations and unfair comments about the entire Ukrainian community.

There was another reason for public debate in Poland – a photo from the public at the cncert showing a red-and-black flag, a symbol widely used in Ukraine but one that carries negative connotations in Poland, where it is seen as provocative. Whether the person holding it did so knowingly or, as he claims, without understanding the context, remains unclear. The controversy it generated, however, is very real and some are actively working to intensify societal tensions.

EUalive notes that for many Poles, the red-and-black Ukrainian flag is directly associated with the Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA). In Polish historical memory, these organisations are held responsible for the Volhynia tragedy of 1943 – the mass killings of Polish civilians in what were then Poland’s eastern territories. As a result, the flag evokes negative and painful associations, often perceived as a provocation and even as a symbol of hostility towards Poland.

For Ukrainians, the red-and-black flag carries a very different meaning, as it symbolises the Ukrainian struggle for independence and has been in use since the early 20th century.

What happened at the stadium

On Saturday 9 August, Belarusian Russian-language rap artist Maks Korzh performed at Warsaw’s National Stadium, but the concert was accompanied by numerous offences.

According to the Warsaw Police Headquarters, “37 of these offences were misdemeanours, and 72 were crimes such as possession of narcotics, violation of security staff’s physical integrity, possession and carrying of pyrotechnics, and illegal entry to a mass event. “

Police fined 50 people and 38 motions for punishment were submitted to the court.

On 12 August, Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that 63 people would be deported from Poland over their actions during the concert, including 57 Ukrainians and 6 Belarusians.

Increasingly, in the Polish-language segment of the internet and social media, aggressive posts are targeting Ukrainians, accusing them of all possible crimes. Anonymous and non-anonymous profiles alike often declare people guilty before any official information emerges. Dedicated pages and even a portal tracking “Ukrainian crime in Poland” have appeared.

Although statistical data disproves this narrative and even suggests the opposite, the real offences committed by 57 Ukrainians now facing deportation will be used to spread the myth of “criminal Ukrainians” and damage perceptions of the entire Ukrainian community in Poland. It has also prompted comments such as “send the criminals to the (war) front.”

The Warsaw branch of the Confederation of the Polish Crown party commented: “The best help for Ukraine will be to return their men of conscription age. Why should we go into debt for generations (referring to aid to Ukraine) and help them while they are enjoying themselves here? Mr President, we are counting on deportations and on your veto of the bill on social benefits for Ukrainians.”

The idea that deported Ukrainians should be sent to the battlefield has gained wide support.

Polish Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek, commenting on the stadium incidents, said that foreigners committing offences in Poland should be deported as quickly as possible. He added that he planned to discuss this with Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, noting: “We are also aware of the situation, which is no secret – Ukraine is now in a very difficult period and has a problem with military recruitment.”

Significantly, Ukraine’s ambassador to Poland, Vasyl Bodnar, sided with the Polish authorities. He sharply criticised the behaviour of those involved in the incident, saying he did not understand why Ukrainians attended a concert featuring songs in Russian, “the language used by the enemy that is waging war against Ukraine.”

The ambassador stressed that all Ukrainians in Poland are guests and must respect Polish law, traditions, and sensitivities. Offenders, in his view, should be held accountable under Polish law. He also warned that such incidents play into Russian propaganda, damage bilateral relations, and create a negative backdrop for the law-abiding majority of Ukrainians in Poland. The situation, he said, runs counter to efforts to develop good neighbourly relations and address sensitive historical issues.

“Dmytrii” with the red-and-black flag

However, the biggest attention was not drawn by fights, pyrotechnics, or hooliganism, but by one participant who unfurled a red-and-black flag featuring a Ukrainian trident during the concert.

The subject of the Volhynia tragedy remains perhaps the most sensitive in Polish-Ukrainian relations, frequently invoked by right-wing and nationalist circles such as the Law and Justice party (PiS), Confederation, and the Confederation of the Polish Crown.

It was PiS MP Dariusz Matecki who drew attention to the concertgoer with the red-and-black flag. On his account on X and the related page “Centre for Monitoring Anti-Polonism,” he posted a video of the scene. The MP announced that he would file a complaint with the prosecutor’s office, demanding a criminal case for “displaying prohibited symbols” and “promoting totalitarian ideologies and inciting hostility based on nationality” (editor’s note: the red-and-black flag is not officially banned in Poland).

Information about the incident quickly spread through social media and the press, accompanied by hostile and sometimes openly aggressive comments targeting the man with the flag.

Internet users swiftly identified his profile (signed as Dmytrii, claiming to be from Ukraine). A few days later, he posted a video in broken Polish, apparently reading from a prepared text, saying that he “did not mean to offend anyone” and was unaware of the emotions the red-and-black flag evokes in Poland. He said his gesture was simply “an expression of support for Ukrainian soldiers.”

“Incitement of hostility”

Political analyst and expert on Polish-Ukrainian relations Olha Popovych notes that regardless of who this “Dmytrii” turns out to be, his actions at the concert were provocative and beneficial to those “interested in anti-Ukrainian sentiment in Poland: Polish far-right radicals, opponents of Polish-Ukrainian partnership, and the puppet masters in the Kremlin (sometimes all three overlap).”

A similar assessment appeared in the statement of Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

In one of his social media posts, the head of government wrote: “As the war in Ukraine approaches its end, Russia is doing everything possible to drive a wedge between Kyiv and Warsaw. Anti-Polish gestures by Ukrainians and the stoking of anti-Ukrainian sentiment in Poland are part of a scenario scripted by Putin, foreign agents, and local idiots – always the same ones.”

It remains unknown whether Dmytrii lives permanently in Poland or travelled to Warsaw solely for the concert. Two days after the concert, Dmytrii closed his social media accounts and deleted earlier posts from TikTok and Instagram. However, on the same day, a Facebook page appeared under the same name.

The profile appeared newly created – its first visible post was dated 12 August. It featured photos and videos of Dmytrii from the Maks Korzh concert, along with an image of Stepan Bandera against a red-and-black flag and other images offensive to Poles. The page also referenced the recent incident at the Volhynia tragedy memorial in Domostawa, where a red-and-black flag and a Cyrillic-style inscription reading “Glory to the UPA” had appeared on the monument’s pedestal.

As mentioned earlier, PiS MP Dariusz Matecki has pledged (or has already moved) to file a complaint with the prosecutor’s office over “displaying prohibited symbols” and “promoting totalitarian ideologies and inciting hostility based on nationality.”

The Volhynia tragedy of 1943 remains one of the most difficult and contentious issues in Ukrainian-Polish relations.

In 2025, the Sejm passed a law establishing a new national holiday – the National Day of Remembrance for Poles who were victims of “genocide committed by the OUN and UPA,” to be marked on 11 July. Poland has commemorated the Volhynia massacre on this date since 2016, but the new law elevated the anniversary to a state holiday, entailing more memorial and educational events dedicated to the events of 1943.

The sensitivity of the issue for some parts of Polish society is illustrated by the controversy surrounding Ambassador Vasyl Bodnar’s speech at the 82nd anniversary of the Volhynia tragedy. Social media users expressed outrage over rumours that his address lasted only a few seconds. Although it later emerged that this was a manipulation – Bodnar’s speech was considerably longer – tensions over the topic did not subside.

Edited by k.n. The original article was published in the portal “Наш вибір”

Caption: On the left – spectator Dmytrii during the concert of rapper Max Korzh, on the right – photos (best quality available) from commemorative events marking the anniversary of the Volyn tragedy in Poland, photo Facebook/Beata Zawrzel/REPORTER