The Polish city will not transfer buses to Vinnytsia due to the renaming of a street in honor of Bandera

The transfer of 15 Solaris buses from the Polish city of Kielce to Vinnytsia will not take place. After a sharp political discussion and criticism from some local deputies, the mayor of Vinnytsia withdrew the request for transportation. One of the reasons for the disputes was the decisions of the Ukrainian authorities related to the commemoration of figures of the UPA. This is reported by in Poland.

Why Kielce will not transfer buses to Vinnytsia

The conflict arose after the proposal to transfer 15 decommissioned Solaris buses that had already been retired in Kielce to the Ukrainian city.

The mayor of the Polish city, Agata Wojda, stated that the Vinnytsia side decided to withdraw the request in order to avoid worsening bilateral cooperation and not provoke further escalation of the situation.

According to the official, incomplete information circulated regarding the transfer of the transport, which caused a wave of criticism and political disputes.

The opposition mentioned Bandera and the UPA

The most objections were expressed by deputies from the opposition party "Law and Justice" (PiS).

In particular, deputy Marcin Stempniewski stated that some residents of Kielce reacted negatively to the transfer of buses due to the decisions of the Ukrainian authorities, which are perceived ambiguously in Poland.

Among the reasons, he mentioned the awarding of the honorary title "Heroes of the UPA" to one of the Ukrainian military units and the renaming of one of the streets in Vinnytsia in honor of Stepan Bandera.

In his opinion, public pressure was one of the reasons for the refusal to transfer the transport.

Old buses may be sent to recycling

According to the city transport department of Kielce, the buses planned for transfer to Vinnytsia are about 17 years old.

Their market value is estimated at approximately 30,000 zlotys per unit. Due to their age and technical condition, the transport will most likely be sold for parts or recycled.

At the same time, representatives of the ruling coalition in the Kielce city council criticized the opposition for inciting anti-Ukrainian sentiments and emphasized the importance of supporting Ukrainian cities in wartime conditions.

It should be noted that a Moldovan wanted by Interpol for the rape of a child was detained in Vinnytsia.