Only Moscow benefits from disputes between Ukrainians and Poles
Poland granted Zelensky the Order of the White Eagle in 2023, but now threatens revocation over the UPA unit naming decision. The UPA is viewed heroically by some Ukrainians for anti-Soviet resistance but was responsible for 1943-1945 Volhynia massacres killing ~100,000 Poles.
- Poland awarded Zelensky the Order of the White Eagle in 2023; revocation now under consideration
- UPA killed approximately 100,000 Poles during 1943-1945 Volhynia massacres
- Poland's advisory council scheduled to vote on revocation June 8, 2026
- President Nawrocki frames the dispute as benefiting Russian propaganda
Poland's president signals potential revocation of Zelensky's highest honor after Ukraine renamed a military unit after the UPA, a nationalist group involved in WWII massacres of Poles.
Poland's president signaled on Friday that his government is considering stripping Volodymyr Zelensky of the nation's highest honor—a dramatic reversal in a relationship that has been one of Ukraine's most steadfast international partnerships. The rupture stems from Zelensky's decision to name a special forces unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, or UPA, a choice that has opened a wound in Polish memory that has never fully healed.
In 2023, Poland's then-president Andrzej Duda awarded Zelensky the Order of the White Eagle, the country's most prestigious decoration, in recognition of his leadership, his defense of democracy and human rights, and his role in strengthening bilateral ties. The award was a gesture of solidarity as Ukraine fought for survival against Russian invasion. But Karol Nawrocki, Poland's current president, announced Friday that he has proposed the order's advisory council discuss revoking the honor. The council is scheduled to meet on June 8.
The naming of the military unit touches on one of the darkest chapters in Polish-Ukrainian history. Between 1943 and 1945, the UPA carried out what became known as the Volhynia massacres—a series of killings that Poland says claimed roughly 100,000 Polish lives. Thousands of Ukrainians also died in retaliatory attacks. For many Poles, the UPA represents not resistance but atrocity. For many Ukrainians, however, the organization symbolizes something different: a force that fought against both Nazi Germany and Soviet domination, a symbol of the struggle for independence that continues to resonate in Kyiv's conflict with Moscow.
Nawrocki, a conservative nationalist who has positioned himself as a Trump-inspired leader focused on "putting Poles first," framed the dispute in stark terms. He told journalists in Warsaw that glorifying the UPA handed Russia a propaganda gift, ammunition for Moscow to sow discord between two nations that should be united against a common threat. Poland's Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying the decision to honor the UPA "wounds the memory of the victims of that organization and damages dialogue between our nations."
Ukraine's response came through Heorhyi Tykhyi, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry in Kyiv. He expressed regret at Poland's negative reaction and insisted Ukraine harbored no intention to offend. For Ukrainian soldiers, he said, the UPA's struggle represents strictly opposition to Moscow's imperial ambitions—not a celebration of historical violence. "Our history confirms that only Moscow benefits from disputes between Ukrainians and Poles," he stated, a pointed reminder that the two countries face a shared threat from Russia.
Nawrocki's move reflects broader tensions simmering beneath the surface of Poland-Ukraine relations. Poland has been Ukraine's most vocal European supporter, but the country has also absorbed hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees, a demographic shift that has fueled political friction. Nawrocki has capitalized on public fatigue with the refugee presence, making his nationalist stance part of a broader political strategy. Yet even as he signals a willingness to strip Zelensky of his honor, he has maintained that supporting Ukraine against Russia remains a strategic priority for Poland.
The dispute exposes the complexity of historical memory in wartime alliance-building. Both nations are fighting for survival against Russian aggression, yet they cannot escape the weight of their own contested past. The question now is whether the advisory council's June meeting will become a formal revocation or whether diplomatic pressure and strategic necessity will prevail. What remains clear is that the naming of a single military unit has fractured what appeared to be an unshakeable partnership, revealing how quickly wartime solidarity can give way to historical grievance.
Citas Notables
Glorifying the UPA provided ample ammunition for Russian propaganda to spread disinformation— Polish President Karol Nawrocki
Our history confirms that only Moscow benefits from disputes between Ukrainians and Poles— Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhyi Tykhyi
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why would Poland risk damaging its relationship with Ukraine over a military unit's name, especially when Russia is the real threat?
Because for Poland, the UPA isn't just a name—it's a mass grave. A hundred thousand people. That's not abstract history; it's a wound that never closed. When Zelensky names a unit after them, it feels like he's saying those deaths don't matter.
But Ukrainians see the UPA differently. They see resistance, not atrocity. How do you reconcile those two truths?
You don't, really. That's the trap. The UPA fought the Soviets and Nazis, which is heroic to Ukrainians. But they also massacred Polish civilians, which is monstrous to Poles. Both things are true. The problem is Zelensky chose to honor one truth and ignore the other.
Is Nawrocki using this as cover for something else—the refugee issue, his nationalist politics?
Almost certainly. He's a Trump-style nationalist who's been promising to put Poles first. The UPA controversy gives him a way to look tough on Ukraine without appearing to abandon the alliance. It's politically useful.
So what happens now? Does Poland actually revoke the honor?
That depends on whether strategic necessity wins out over historical grievance. Poland still needs Ukraine to survive. But if Nawrocki's council votes to revoke it, he'll have made a statement: that even allies have limits, and that some memories are non-negotiable.