Ukraine Not Invited to the Largest Military Parade in Polish History

Representatives of Ukraine were not invited to the military parade in Poland, which will take place on August 15 in Warsaw to mark Polish Armed Forces Day.

The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine informed Suspilne of this.

Polish Armed Forces Day is celebrated in honor of the victory of Polish troops over the Bolshevik army in the Battle of Warsaw in 1920. This victory was one of the key episodes of the Polish-Soviet War and halted the Bolsheviks’ advance into Western Europe.

Units of the Army of the Ukrainian People’s Republic also fought on Poland’s side. In particular, in August 1920, the 6th Sich Division, under the command of Mark Bezruchko, defended Zamość against Semyon Budyonny’s 1st Cavalry Army.

For several days, Ukrainian units, together with Polish troops, held back the Soviet offensive. After unsuccessful assaults, Budyonny’s forces were forced to retreat from Zamość.

This year’s parade will be the largest in Polish history. In Warsaw, it will feature approximately 1,800 service members, over 300 pieces of ground equipment, and more than 60 aircraft.

In total, approximately 9,000 Polish military personnel will be mobilized to support the land and naval parades.

In addition to Polish military personnel, representatives from allied nations will participate in this year’s parade. Among them are service members from the United States, Canada, Australia, Lithuania, Estonia, Sweden, Romania, and other countries.

A significant amount of modern military equipment will be on display during the parade in Warsaw. In particular, American Abrams tanks, South Korean K2 tanks, and German Leopard tanks will be showcased, as well as Gladius unmanned aerial systems.

The air component of the parade will include F-35 and F-16 fighter jets, as well as Black Hawk, AW149, and Apache helicopters. In addition, spectators will be shown the Patriot and Poprad air defense systems.

A separate part of the celebrations will be a naval parade in Gdynia. More than 20 ships will take part, including frigates, corvettes, minesweepers, and hydrographic vessels.

Previously, for example, in 2020, Poland proposed that Ukraine jointly celebrate the victory over Russia.

And for the 2024 parade marking the same occasion, servicemen from the joint Lithuanian-Polish-Ukrainian brigade, whose headquarters were located in Lublin, Poland, were involved.

As a reminder, Ukrainian pilots and ground forces recently participated in the Bastille Day parade in Paris.