The Ukrainian government’s late‑month decree naming a Special Operations Forces unit “Heroes of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army” has been met with fierce opposition in Poland, where the UPA’s legacy is remembered as a period of ethnic violence and genocide.
Poland’s President Karol Nawrocki has announced that he will review the decision to keep President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Order of the White Eagle, a symbol of the highest state honour, citing that the naming “shares the same values of glorifying bandits and killers.”
The Ukrainian Insurgent Army fought for national independence during the chaotic years of 1940‑50, battling both Soviet and Nazi occupiers. For many Ukrainians it remains a potent emblem of resistance; for Poles, the UPA is memorialised as an organisation that carried out massacres in Volhynia, killing an estimated 100,000 ethnic Poles.
Polish politicians, ranging from far‑right groups such as the Confederation party to pro‑Ukrainian opponents like Prime Minister Donald Tusk, have all voiced strong condemnation. Tusk called for “direct and honest conversation” to defuse the crisis, while the far‑right demanded that Poland halt funding for Ukrainian military communications services and delay Ukraine’s EU accession.
Zelensky’s chief of staff, Kyrylo Budanov, flown into Poland to calm tensions, but after his visit the Polish Council of the Order of the White Eagle convened to weigh the potential revocation. The academy’s authority is co‑held by the President and the Prime Minister, meaning Tusk’s agreement may be required to lift the award.
The standoff threatens to soften Poland’s expressed support for Ukraine during the ongoing war. The Polish government has already provided shelter for almost a million Ukrainian refugees and has been a major supplier of military aid, while the potential loss of diplomatic goodwill could curtail further cooperation on counter‑Russian defence measures.
