Poland strips Zelensky of highest honor after UPA unit naming, triggering diplomatic backlash

A symbolic honor rescinded

President Karol Nawrocki announced on June 19 that he was withdrawing the Order of the White Eagle, Poland's highest distinction, from Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski. The award had been bestowed in April 2023 by then-President Andrzej Duda as a gesture of solidarity after Russia's full-scale invasion. Nawrocki's decision follows Zelenski's late-May choice to name a special forces unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), a nationalist formation from World War II.

“For the overwhelming majority of Polish society, the UPA remains first and foremost a formation responsible for brutal crimes committed against citizens of the Republic of Poland during World War II.”

Outcry in Warsaw and Kyiv

The naming decision provoked an immediate backlash in Poland. A June poll showed that 52% of Poles said their attitude toward Ukraine had worsened because of the unit's designation. Prominent voices joined the criticism, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Lech Walesa and opposition leader Przemyslaw Czarnek, who accused Zelenski of insulting Polish sensitivities.

“Conflict between Poland and Ukraine makes Putin happy and shocks our allies. The task of Presidents Zelenski and Nawrocki is to calm emotions, not fuel tensions.”

Ukraine's foreign minister Andrii Sîbiha denounced the medal withdrawal as a 'strategic error' and 'disdainful decision.' In protest, he returned his own Polish distinction, the Commander's Cross with Star of the Order of Merit, which he had received in 2022. Former foreign minister Dmitro Kuleba also rebuked Nawrocki, warning that fighting the wrong opponent would blind Warsaw to the real threat.

The weight of history

For Poland, the UPA is inseparable from the Volhynia massacres in which tens of thousands of ethnic Poles, with some estimates exceeding 100,000, were killed in what is now western Ukraine during Nazi occupation. Ukrainian officials maintain the naming was not directed at Poland and emphasized a commitment to dialogue on sensitive historical questions.

Alliance under strain

Although Poland remains one of Ukraine's strongest backers militarily and in hosting refugees, the dispute exposes deeper friction. Since taking office in 2025, Nawrocki has consistently opposed Ukraine's NATO and EU accession, blocked legislation extending special aid for Ukrainian refugees in Poland, and has never visited Kyiv despite multiple invitations. The medal row risks compounding these strains at a moment when unity is critical, analysts note, while Russian President Vladimir Putin stands to benefit from a public rift between Warsaw and Kyiv.