Zelensky Loses Poland’s Highest Honour Over UPA Naming Row

Fri Jun 19 2026 23:43:26 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Ukraine’s president was stripped of Poland’s Order of the White Eagle after the country opposed naming a unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army.

Poland revoked Zelensky’s top award after Kyiv named a unit after the UPA, a group Poland sees as responsible for wartime atrocities. President Karol Nawrocki called the move "outrageous," while Ukraine’s foreign minister called it a strategic mistake. The row highlights lingering WWII tensions; Poland says it will keep backing Ukraine in the war. Zelensky will return the medal and says the dispute should not dictate Ukraine’s history.

Zelensky Loses Poland’s Highest Honour Over UPA Naming Row

President Volodymyr Zelensky holding a medal beside Polish President Andrzej Duda

NurPhoto via Getty Images

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky was stripped of Poland’s highest state honour, the Order of the White Eagle, after Kyiv said a new military unit would be named after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA).

Polish President Karol Nawrocki called the decision “outrageous”, “incomprehensible” and “deeply disappointing”. He warned that the row would not affect Warsaw’s support for Kyiv against Russia.

The UPA fought for Ukrainian independence during the 1940s but is accused by Poland of carrying out a genocide of ethnic Poles in Volhynia during World War II. For many Ukrainians, however, the UPA is a hero symbol of resistance.

Poland’s president cited the thousands of Ukrainian refugees welcomed after Russia’s invasion as evidence of ongoing friendship, while also emphasising the need for Poland to confront difficult chapters of its own history if it wants to stay in the European Union.

Zelensky’s foreign minister called the decision a strategic mistake that only benefits Moscow, and Zelensky himself will return the Polish award and declared that presidents should not dictate Ukraine’s narrative.

The incident underscores ongoing tensions over historical memory and shows how Poland’s support for Ukraine continues despite diplomatic frictions. Ukraine remains striving toward EU membership, while Poland insists on universal principles of rejecting totalitarianism.