Poland Strips Zelenskyy of Top Honor Over WWII Unit
Zelensky returned the medal after Poland said 52% of Poles viewed the unit naming as worsening ties, officials said.
- On Friday, Polish President Karol Nawrocki revoked the Order of the White Eagle from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after Kyiv approved naming a military unit 'Heroes of the UPA,' citing historical offense to Poland.
- Poland associates the UPA with the Volhynia massacres between 1943 and 1945, where records indicate up to 100,000 ethnic Poles were killed; Kyiv views the group as independence fighters against Nazi and Soviet occupation.
- Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha condemned the revocation as a "strategic mistake" that benefits Moscow, announcing he will return his own Commander's Cross award granted to him in October 2022.
- Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned the conflict "pleases Putin and shocks our allies," while Zelenskyy's attendance at next week's Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdansk remains uncertain amid the diplomatic rift.
- The dispute complicates the strategic partnership against Russian aggression, though Nawrocki maintains Poland's military support for Ukraine remains unchanged despite the diplomatic tension over unresolved historical grievances.
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Several Ukrainian government representatives have also presented Polish awards. Moscow, in particular, benefits from the damage to the relationship between the two allies.
"Russia is the eternal enemy of Ukraine and Poland," says Sibiha
Zelenski Has Returned Poland's Highest Honor After the New President Threatened to Revoke the Award.
Zelensky has returned Poland's highest honor after its new leader threatened to revoke the award due to displeasure over Ukraine naming a military unit after a controversial World War II-era force.
Zelensky stripped of Poland's highest honor after honoring nationalist group
Polish President Karol Nawrocki stripped Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of Poland’s highest honor after Ukraine named a military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), a controversial World War II-era nationalist group that engaged in the mass murder of Poles. Poland emerged as one of Ukraine’s closest allies after the Russian invasion in February 2022, providing Kyiv with some of its strongest military and diplomatic support. As…
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