Poland's president moves to strip Zelensky of top honour after Ukraine names unit after UPA heroes

The spark: a unit named after UPA

President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a decree naming the Separate Special Operations Centre "North" of the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces after the "Heroes of the UPA". The Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) is regarded in Poland as responsible for the extermination of the Polish population in Volhynia. Zelensky said the move was made "in order to restore the historical traditions of the national army and taking into account the exemplary performance of assigned tasks during the defence of the territorial integrity and independence of Ukraine".

Nawrocki's response: revoke the Order of the White Eagle

Polish President Karol Nawrocki reacted sharply. "I took very seriously the appeal of the Polish nation and MP Grzegorz Płaczek, who sent me an appeal. On 8 June a meeting of the Chapter of the Order of the White Eagle will take place; I proposed that one of the points be the revocation of President Zelensky's Order of the White Eagle," Nawrocki told journalists. He stressed that the final decision rests with the president but the chapter must convene first. "I am outraged," he added. Nawrocki argued that Zelensky had "provided the best material and a lot of oxygen for Russian propaganda" and that Ukraine "is not ready to be part of the European family" if it glorifies "bandits and murderers who murdered women and children, murdered Poles".

Lviv's mayor pushes back

Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi expressed disbelief. "I don't understand this. When Andrzej Duda handed this order to Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky said he accepted it on behalf of Ukrainian society. It's hard for me to imagine that Karol Nawrocki will come to Kyiv and take this decoration back," Sadovyi told Polsat News. He insisted that "every state has its heroes" and that the UPA "fought for Ukrainian independence". Sadovyi warned that "this debate will be very beneficial for Russia and Russia will exploit it". He also argued that "we don't know perfectly how it was 50 or 100 years ago, because often this history was distorted and Russia did everything to ensure there was no 100 percent information".

Tusk and Kosiniak-Kamysz urge de-escalation

Prime Minister Donald Tusk called the situation "a very serious problem". He said Zelensky's decision "violates our historical sensitivity and unnecessarily raises these historical differences and interpretations to a rather worrying level". Tusk also criticised Nawrocki's proposal as "an equally worrying step". "If President Zelensky and President Nawrocki become leaders of historical disputes and emotions, the Kremlin will really have reason to rejoice," he warned. Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz suggested Nawrocki "would have done better to pick up the phone and call President Zelensky" rather than escalate. He linked Nawrocki's move to a parliamentary motion by Confederation MP Grzegorz Braun, saying the president "seemed to listen to Mr Braun's voice and is implementing his policy in this regard".

Confederation and former PM Miller applaud

Confederation MP Krzysztof Mulawa called Zelensky's decree "a great insult" and said "Ukraine slaps Poland in the face systematically, every week". He argued that sitting politicians should not receive such high honours because of the risk it carries. Former Prime Minister Leszek Miller praised Nawrocki's initiative with a succinct "Bravo, Mr President!".

What happens next

The Chapter of the Order of the White Eagle is scheduled to meet on 8 June, where Nawrocki's proposal will be discussed. The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already lodged an official protest, and Deputy Minister Marcin Bosacki met with Ukrainian Ambassador Vasyl Bodnar. The head of the Ministry of Interior and Administration, Marcin Kierwiński, also assessed the Ukrainian move as a mistake that harms the memory of victims and damages Polish-Ukrainian relations.