Top Ukrainian Officials Return Polish Awards in WWII Dispute
Senior Ukrainian officials announced they are returning Polish awards after President Zelenskyy was stripped of Poland's top honor over a dispute about World War II massacres.
On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff Kyrylo Budanov, Ambassador to Poland Vasyl Bodnar, and Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said they would relinquish awards bestowed by Poland. The move follows Polish President Karol Nawrocki’s Friday announcement that he would strip Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle, which former President Andrzej Duda awarded him in 2023 for services to security, resilience and human rights defense.
The dispute stems from Zelenskyy’s May 26 decree naming a military unit the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) – a group active in the 1940s and 1950s accused of massacring Poles during World War II. Nawrocki stated that for most Poles, the UPA remains a formation responsible for cruel crimes against Polish citizens, but emphasized the decision would not end Poland’s support for Ukraine against Russia.
Ukrainian officials criticized the move as playing into Russia’s hands. Budanov wrote on Telegram that it was “an unfriendly act toward our people” and “a gift to the Moscow aggressor.” Sybiha called it a “strategic mistake” while Bodnar said it was “especially painful” as Ukraine faces Russian attacks.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, a political rival of Nawrocki, urged both sides to “calm tensions,” noting that conflict between Poland and Ukraine “delights Putin and shocks our allies.” The UPA fought against both Nazi German and Soviet forces but is also accused of mass killings of Poles in Nazi-occupied areas. Ukrainians counter that both UPA and Polish underground forces launched large-scale attacks and reprisals causing civilian deaths on both sides.
