Historical Dispute: Poland Revokes Zelenskyy’s Award

Zelenskyy had received this highest Polish honor in 2023 from Nawrocki’s predecessor, Andrzej Duda, to underscore the friendship between Poland and Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression against Kyiv. Nawrocki asserted in a statement quoted by the PAP news agency that the revocation was “not directed against the Ukrainian nation” and did not alter the strategic orientation of Polish security policy.

Massacres of Poles and Jews

Zelenskyy sparked the controversy in late May when he bestowed the nickname “Heroes of the UPA” on an army unit. Kyiv honors the memory of the underground fighters of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) because they resisted Soviet rule after World War II. During the war, however, these armed groups carried out massacres of tens of thousands of Poles and Jews in what is now western Ukraine. In Poland, Zelenskyy’s honoring of the UPA therefore sparked cross-party outrage.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha announced that he, in turn, would return a high state honor that had been awarded to him by Poland in 2022. On Facebook, Sybiha called Zelenskyy’s revocation of the order a strategic mistake by the Polish president, one from which only Moscow stands to benefit. He spoke of unjustified and condescending actions by Polish politicians not only toward Zelenskyy but also toward the Ukrainian state.

The dispute is casting a shadow over an important joint event scheduled to take place in a week. A reconstruction conference for Ukraine is set to take place in Gdańsk on June 25 and 26, with the EU, the G7, and other donors participating. Poland and Ukraine are co-hosting the event.