Zelensky stripped of Poland's highest honour over WWII army unit name
Poland has revoked Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky's Order of the White Eagle after Kyiv named a military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), which Poland considers controversial. Polish President Karol Nawrocki called the move "outrageous" and "deeply disappointing".
Polish President Karol Nawrocki has decided to strip Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of the Order of the White Eagle, Poland's highest state decoration. The move came after Ukraine late last month named a military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), a World War II-era formation that Poland accuses of committing genocide against ethnic Poles.
In a video statement, Nawrocki described Ukraine's decision as "outrageous", "incomprehensible", and "deeply disappointing". He said it hurts historical memory and undermines trust built over years, but stressed it would not affect Poland's support for Ukraine against Russia. The Polish president also noted that hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees were welcomed into Poland after Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha denounced Warsaw's action as a "strategic mistake" and "disrespectful". He announced he would return a Polish award he received in 2022, stating that no other country's president would dictate Ukraine's history.
The UPA, active in the 1940s and 1950s, is seen by many Ukrainians as heroes who fought for independence against the Soviet Red Army, Nazi Germany, and Polish authorities. Poland, however, holds the UPA responsible for the massacres of about 100,000 ethnic Poles in Volhynia between 1943 and 1945.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk sought to de-escalate tensions, posting on social media that the feud "delights" Russian President Vladimir Putin and urging both leaders to calm emotions. Nawrocki also warned that Ukraine's path to European Union membership requires confronting difficult chapters of its history, adding that those who do not understand this have no place in the EU.
Zelensky has not directly commented on the row. He was awarded the Order of the White Eagle in 2023 by then-President Andrzej Duda. Sybiha's return of his own Polish award was a direct response to the decision.
