Poland revokes Ukraine’s highest honour after military unit named for controversial WWII nationalists
President Nawrocki has withdrawn the Order of the White Eagle from Volodymyr Zelenskyy, citing the Ukrainian leader’s decision to name a military unit after the UPA, a move that has triggered the return of Polish decorations by Kyiv and drawn in French politicians.
The revocation
President Karol Nawrocki announced on Friday evening that, after consulting the Chapter of the Order of the White Eagle, he had decided to strip Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Poland’s highest state distinction. The order was originally awarded by then-president Andrzej Duda in 2023. Nawrocki acted after Zelenskyy approved the naming of a Ukrainian armed forces unit after the “Heroes of the UPA,” a nationalist group whose role in the wartime massacre of Polish civilians remains a deeply sensitive historical wound.
We are a proud Polish nation and we have our pain threshold in matters that concern us and our allies. That threshold has been exceeded, which is why I took the Order of the White Eagle away from President Zelenskyy.
Kyiv hits back
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha promptly returned his Polish Order of Merit, calling Nawrocki’s move a “strategic mistake.” The head of Ukraine’s presidential office, Kyrylo Budanow, and the country’s ambassador in Warsaw, Wasyl Bodnar, likewise gave up their Polish decorations. The Ukrainian side made clear it had anticipated the decision and had prepared a coordinated response, a sign of how badly trust has corroded.
You can see an enormous outburst of emotions on the Ukrainian side. Ukrainians are outraged not only by the revocation but also by the reason it was revoked.
French flashpoint
Gabriel Attal, the former French prime minister and leader of Macron’s Renaissance bloc, linked Nawrocki’s decision to his recent meeting with Rassemblement National chief Jordan Bardella. Bardella shot back that backing the UPA name was “absurd” and would strain relations with Poland, while Polish MEP Tobiasz Bocheński told Attal he ought to remain silent.
Polish domestic split
A Res Futura analysis of social media posts found that 74 percent of comments supported Nawrocki’s action, with only 26 percent critical. The discussion generated a total reach of 120 million online interactions. Opposition figures, however, warned that the stand-off plays into Russia’s hands. Prime Minister Donald Tusk urged restraint, and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski suggested Moscow was enjoying the spectacle.
- President Zelenskyy signs decree naming a military unit 'Heroes of the UPA'.
- President Nawrocki announces the revocation of Zelenskyy’s Order of the White Eagle after consulting the Chapter.
- Ukrainian Foreign Minister Sybiha returns his Polish Order of Merit.
- Kyrylo Budanow and Wasyl Bodnar also renounce their Polish decorations.
- Nawrocki states at Silesian Uprising Day in Grabówka that the 'pain threshold has been exceeded'.
- Support
- 74 %
- Criticism
- 26 %
What comes next
OSW director Wojciech Konończuk described the clash as the most serious such dispute since Ukraine’s independence. He expects the fallout to remain limited to the exchange of decorations, adding that Ukrainian officials still see value in President Zelenskyy attending the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdańsk later this month. For now, the rhetoric on both sides points to a deep chill in a relationship that until recently was built on extraordinary wartime solidarity.
