Poland Revokes Honor from Ukrainian President Zelenskiy
WARSAW, Poland – On Friday, Polish President Karol Nawrocki declared that he will revoke the Order of the White Eagle from Volodymyr Zelenskiy. This action follows Zelenskiy’s recent decision to name a Ukrainian military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), a group historically accused of committing atrocities against Poles during World War II.
Zelenskiy received the prestigious honor in 2023 from then-President Andrzej Duda for his efforts in promoting security, resilience, and human rights.
However, his honor is set to be rescinded due to Zelenskiy’s May 26 decree naming special operations forces after the UPA, which was active during the mid-20th century and has been implicated in mass killings in Poland.
In a 13-minute address on social media, Nawrocki remarked, “For the majority of Polish society, the Ukrainian rebels remain above all the organization that committed the cruelest crimes against the people of the Republic of Poland during World War II.”
Despite this decision, Nawrocki emphasized that it does not signify a decrease in Poland’s support for Ukraine amid its ongoing conflict with Russia.
Next week, Poland will host a significant event focused on Ukraine’s post-war recovery, with Zelenskiy anticipated to be present.
According to Zelenskiy’s statement, the renaming is intended to invoke historical traditions of the Armed Forces and to assess the efforts of the troops in safeguarding Ukraine’s integrity and independence.
The UPA was engaged in combat against both Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union in its quest for Ukrainian independence. However, in Poland, it is blamed for the deaths of tens of thousands of Poles during the war, especially in regions like Volhynia and eastern Galicia. In 2016, Poland’s parliament acknowledged the UPA’s actions as genocide.
Both Polish and Ukrainian factions have been implicated in attacks and reprisals, leading to significant civilian suffering on both sides.
Poland’s liberal Prime Minister Donald Tusk has also voiced criticism regarding Ukraine’s decree. He cautioned that escalating tensions might serve the interests of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who could exploit the discord.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibikha commented on June 3, stressing that rising tensions do not benefit either Ukrainians or Poles. He urged both nations to calm down and allow historians to address the more sensitive issues in their shared history.
Recently, Poland and Ukraine have made headway in discussions about exhuming Polish victims. A meeting between the two presidents last December in Warsaw indicated progress in their efforts for historical reconciliation.
