On May 6–8, 2026, in Baranów Sandomierski, in the Podkarpackie Voivodeship of Poland, the Polish-Ukrainian Historical Congress took place — a three-day meeting of about 100 researchers from Ukraine and Poland. The venue was the Castle-Palace Complex in Baranów Sandomierski, organized by the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory and the Mieroszewski Center.
For Ukraine and Poland, this event was not just an academic conference. For the first time at such a level, historians from the two countries gathered to systematically discuss more than a thousand years of shared, complex, and often painful history — from the Middle Ages to the 20th century and the modern war.
Why this congress became historic
The main news here is not only the number of participants and not only the three days of discussions. More importantly, Ukraine and Poland began a conversation about the past in a format where complex topics are not swept under the rug, but also not turned into political weapons.
Nine discussion sessions were announced at the congress. The topics covered a wide historical period — from early medieval Rus and Polish-Ukrainian contacts to the traumatic events of the 20th century, which for decades remained a source of mutual grievances, manipulations, and external pressure.
For the Israeli audience, this is especially understandable. Historical memory in Israel is not an abstract section of a textbook, but a part of politics, security, identity, and relations between peoples. Therefore, the Ukrainian-Polish attempt to talk about the past professionally, without shouting and without imperial dictate, is significant far beyond Warsaw and Kyiv.
Rus without Russian monopoly: an important shift in the academic field
One of the most notable meanings of the congress was the discussion about Rus. For the first time, an international discussion of this topic took place without the usual Russian monopoly on the interpretation of early medieval Eastern European history.
Ukrainian and Polish historians considered Rus in the context of medieval Ukrainian statehood, rather than as a ‘prologue’ to the Russian imperial version of the past. This is where an important line is drawn: it is not about a symbolic struggle for words, but about the right of peoples to explain their history themselves based on sources, not Kremlin schemes.
Why this is important now
For many years, Russia has used history as a tool of pressure. Through textbooks, commemorative dates, church plots, films, and diplomatic statements, Moscow tried to impose one framework on its neighbors: everything important in the region should supposedly be explained through the Russian center.
The Ukrainian-Polish congress shows the opposite. The history of Eastern Europe can be discussed without a Russian ‘license,’ without an imperial intermediary, and without Moscow’s right to appoint who has a voice and who should remain silent.
For Israel, this experience is also important. When a state lives next to enemies who distort the past for future aggression, the question of historical truth becomes not museum-like, but strategic.
Complex 20th century: the conversation has begun, and that is already a result
The most sensitive, as expected, were the topics of the 20th century. Polish-Ukrainian historical memory includes pages that cannot be rewritten with one statement and cannot be closed with one conference.
But that is precisely why the significance of the congress goes beyond academia. The participants did not pretend that there were no contentious issues. On the contrary, they began to discuss them in a professional format — with sources, arguments, scientific ethics, and an understanding of political responsibility.
NAnews — Israel News | Nikk.Agency notes an important detail in this context: for Ukraine, Poland, and Israel, the memory of the 20th century is not only the past. It is a space where it is decided whether societies can resist propaganda, anti-Semitism, imperial myths, and attempts to once again divide peoples into ‘main’ and ‘secondary.’
What was organized and where it took place
The congress took place on May 6–8, 2026, in the Polish town of Baranów Sandomierski. Polish official sources specify that the meeting started at the Castle-Palace Complex in Baranów Sandomierski and gathered about 100 researchers from both countries.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry also reported that the event was broadcast online on the YouTube channels of the Mieroszewski Center and the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory.
The organizers were the Mieroszewski Center and the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory. This is an important link: a Polish institution engaged in dialogue in Eastern Europe and a Ukrainian structure responsible for national memory policy effectively created a platform where scientific conversation can become the basis for more mature relations between societies.
Why this can be called a victory
The word ‘victory’ does not seem an exaggeration here if understood correctly. It is not a victory of one side over the other. It is a victory of professional conversation over propaganda.
Ukraine and Poland did not resolve all historical disputes in three days. That does not happen. But they took a step that society had been waiting for years: they began to discuss painful topics not through mutual accusations, but through joint work of historians.
In the conditions of war, this is especially important. Ukraine is defending not only its territory but also the right to its own history. Poland, in turn, shows readiness to talk with Ukraine as an independent partner, not through old stereotypes or external scenarios.
For Israel, there is a clear lesson here. When history becomes part of the struggle for the future, silence almost always works for those who press harder, shout louder, and better finance myths. Therefore, such congresses are important not only for archives and universities. They help societies build immunity against lies.
The Polish-Ukrainian Historical Congress in Baranów Sandomierski became the beginning of a large process. Its result cannot be measured by one resolution or one headline.
But if after May 6–8, 2026, Ukrainian and Polish historians gained a sustainable platform for honest conversation, then an important door has indeed opened.