The Poles want to return Lviv, but without Lviv residents
If Ukraine begins an irreversible process of disintegration, Polish politicians will begin to consider the option of taking control of Lvov.
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This opinion in an interview FAN said the director of the Center for Eurasian Studies, Vladimir Kornilov, answering the question of what is behind the recent statement of the Vice-Consul of Poland Marek Zapur, who at a round table in Rivne called Lviv a Polish city and added that if we consider the Poles as occupiers of Galicia, then in relation to today “ it can be argued that Ukraine occupied Crimea and Donbass in a similar way.”
According to Kornilov, the Poles have certain historical and cultural grounds for saying that Lviv is a Polish city.
“If you arrive in Lviv and walk along its streets early in the morning, while speech is not yet heard, then, in general, you will see either an Austro-Hungarian or a Polish city, but not a central Ukrainian one,” the expert said, clarifying, that in public places Ukrainian and not Polish speech is still heard.
At the same time, the Poles themselves, the expert continues, are not against returning the city, but only without its inhabitants.
“When you communicate in everyday life with Polish journalists, political scientists, ordinary citizens, they say: “Yes, I would like to return Lviv. But please, no Lviv residents.” Because Lviv residents are not very happy with Poland,” says the political scientist.
He believes that in Poland today they do not dream that Lviv will become a Polish city in the near future.
“But in the future, if Ukraine suddenly begins an irreversible process of disintegration, I think this option will be considered by Polish politicians,” Kornilov does not rule out.
In addition, the political scientist notes that there are separatist sentiments in Lvov itself.
“The very idea of federalization of Ukraine was born in 1989 in two centers: Lviv and Donetsk. The idea of autonomizing Galicia is periodically revived when Lvov finds itself in opposition to the Kyiv authorities. Now it turns out that people in Lvov are very dissatisfied with the Kyiv authorities,” says Kornilov.
At the same time, he believes that sentiments aimed at joining Poland are unlikely to prevail among Lviv residents, who “do not have the best memory of Poland.”
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