The spark: a controversial honour

Tensions between Warsaw and Kyiv have erupted after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy decided on 27 May to bestow the honorary title 'Heroes of the UPA' on the Separate Special Operations Centre 'North', an elite unit of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) is remembered in Poland for the massacre of over 100,000 Polish civilians in Volhynia during World War II, an act Poland considers genocide. The decision was immediately met with a formal protest from Poland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Deputy Minister Marcin Bosacki met with Ukraine's ambassador, Vasyl Bodnar, to express Warsaw's outrage.

Nawrocki's sharp response

Polish President Karol Nawrocki reacted with fury, publicly stating that Zelenskyy had handed 'the best material and a lot of oxygen to Russian propaganda.' He announced that he would request the Chapter of the Order of the White Eagle to discuss revoking the honour from Zelenskyy during its upcoming session on 8 June. 'Unfortunately, President Zelenskyy has proven that Ukraine, in terms of mentality and glorifying bandits and murderers from the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, is not ready to be part of the European family,' Nawrocki argued.

“I proposed that one of the points of the meeting of the Chapter of the Order of the White Eagle be the revocation of the order from the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.”

A nation divided in reaction

The proposal has split Poland's political class. Former Prime Minister Leszek Miller praised Nawrocki, saying 'at last an important Polish politician has done what he should have done' and calling Zelenskyy's move an expression of 'unprecedented arrogance and complete contempt for our Polish feelings.' Miller went further, alleging a 'Bandera fifth column' in Poland that 'torpedoes every action that approaches the truth about what is happening in Ukraine,' singling out Paweł Kowal, head of the Sejm's foreign affairs committee. Conversely, left-wing MEP Robert Biedroń urged 'less hysteria, more reason' and a 'cold shower' for Nawrocki, noting that the order's 300-year history includes controversial recipients like Benito Mussolini and Emperor Hirohito. Former Prime Minister Waldemar Pawlak called for a 'strong' but measured response, stating that 'shouting will not replace exhumations, and insulting will not replace policy.'

The Chapter's Chancellor weighs in

Professor Michał Kleiber, Chancellor of the Order of the White Eagle, confirmed to wPolityce.pl that he will support the motion to strip Zelenskyy of the honour. 'I believe this order should be taken away, because it is disgraceful for someone who acts in this way to be a knight of Poland's most important order,' Kleiber said. He acknowledged pragmatic arguments for maintaining cooperation with Ukraine but insisted that 'we must remember Volhynia and the families who are still living through this.' The Chapter is scheduled to convene on 8 June to debate the issue.

“It is disgraceful for someone who acts in this way to be a knight of Poland's most important order.”

Kyiv pushes back

From the Ukrainian side, Serhii Sternenko, an adviser to Ukraine's defence minister, posted a defiant message on X, accusing Polish leaders of hypocrisy for honouring Józef Piłsudski, whom he claimed 'betrayed the UNR to the Bolsheviks' and was the 'ideologue of the Volhynian experiment.' Sternenko wrote that 'Ukraine has never demanded that Poland condemn Piłsudski' and accused Poland of 'fuelling the conflict.' The exchange has drawn international attention, with Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung noting that for Poles the UPA is a criminal organisation, while in Ukraine it is viewed as a group of freedom fighters. The paper quoted former President Lech Wałęsa saying Zelenskyy had insulted him and all murdered Poles by 'distinguishing the bandits of the UPA.'

A test for Polish-Ukrainian solidarity

Prime Minister Donald Tusk struck a more cautious tone, saying Zelenskyy's decision 'hurts historical sensitivity and is worrying from the point of view of relations between Poland and Ukraine,' while urging both presidents to 'rise above historical emotions.' However, conservative outlets accused Tusk's government of lacking a spine, arguing that his call not to 'quarrel about the past' effectively silenced the Polish president rather than addressing Ukraine's provocation. The controversy tests the resilience of a partnership forged under the shadow of Russia's full-scale invasion, as Warsaw balances historical grievance with strategic necessity.