Poland has annulled one of the highest distinctions awarded to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after he decided to name one of his military units "Heroes of the UPA". The gesture alludes to the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, a nationalist militia that fought for Ukraine's independence during World War II and which Warsaw holds responsible for massacres against the Polish civilian population.
The Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) and other nationalist armed groups carried out a campaign of ethnic cleansing and mass killings in Volhynia and Galicia, territories then under Nazi occupation, which caused the deaths of tens of thousands of Polish civilians.
Zelensky recently decided to name the Northern Special Operations Center of the Army's special operations forces "Heroes of the UPA". This measure has led the President of Poland to withdraw the Order of the White Eagle, the country's most prestigious decoration.
"For the vast majority of Polish society, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army remains, above all, the unit responsible for the brutal crimes committed against Polish citizens during World War II," detailed the President of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, in a video published on social media, recalling that at least 100,000 Polish citizens were murdered by the UPA.
In the same address, he stressed that naming a Ukrainian military unit this way "has an importance that far transcends Ukraine's internal affairs," although he pointed out that this decision "does not offend the Ukrainian nation" and "does not represent a change in the strategic direction of Polish security policy."
"There are limits that cannot be crossed in Polish-Ukrainian relations," he stated, calling Kiev's decision to name one of its units this way "outrageous, incomprehensible, and deeply disappointing," especially in light of Poland's support in the war against Russia and the reception of Ukrainian displaced persons on Polish territory.
In reaction, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sibiga described the measure as a "strategic mistake" and stressed that with such decisions, "only Moscow benefits."
"We regret that emotions have overflowed in Warsaw and have led Polish politicians to take unjustified, impulsive, and disrespectful actions, not only against President Zelensky, but above all against the Ukrainian state," he indicated.
The head of Ukrainian diplomacy also announced that he is renouncing the Polish state distinction that was awarded to him in October 2022, the Commander's Cross with Star. "I will return it to Poland soon," he stated, considering the actions of the Polish authorities "reckless."
Zelensky received the Order of the White Eagle in April from the then-President Andrzej Duda, in recognition of his role in promoting Polish-Ukrainian relations and security cooperation.