Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky has been stripped of Poland’s highest state honour, the Order of the White Eagle, over Kyiv’s decision to name a military unit after controversial World War Two fighters.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki branded Ukraine’s decision late last month to name the unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) “outrageous”, “incomprehensible” and “deeply disappointing”.
Nawrocki stressed the diplomatic row would not impact Poland’s support for Ukraine against Russia.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha denounced Warsaw’s move, calling it a “strategic mistake” and “disrespectful”.
Many in Ukraine regard the UPA, which existed in the 1940s and 1950s, as heroes who fought for Ukrainian independence against the Soviet Red Army as well as Nazi Germany and Polish authorities. So for Ukrainians the title “Heroes of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army” is a major honour.
Poland, however, accuses the UPA of carrying out a genocide of ethnic Poles in Volhynia (now Volyn in Ukraine) in 1943-45.
“For the overwhelming majority of Polish society, the UPA remains, above all, a formation responsible for the brutal crimes committed against citizens of the Republic of Poland during World War II,” Nawrocki said in a video released on the president’s official website.
“That is why the Ukrainian authorities’ decision to glorify the UPA is not only outrageous, it is also incomprehensible and deeply disappointing,” he said.
“It hurts not only our historical memory. It also undermines the trust built up over the years and in recent months,” he added.
The Polish president pointed to the hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees welcomed into the country following the launch of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
“Poles opened their borders, their homes, and their hearts to millions of Ukrainians,” he said.
