Polish President Nawrocki stripped Zelenskyy of Order of White Eagle

Polish President Karol Nawrocki has stripped Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the country’s highest honour, the Order of the White Eagle, amid a scandal over the naming of an elite unit of the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces after the Heroes of the UPA.

Nawrocki announced this on the evening of 19 June on social media platform X, according to Censor.NET.

Warsaw’s decision

In his speech, Nawrocki stated that the Order of the White Eagle is not an ordinary award, but a symbol of Poland’s highest trust, signifying a special bond with the Polish state and the people’s profound gratitude.

"Such a symbol requires not only merit but also respect for the values that form the foundation of our community... Therefore, in view of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s consent to name one of the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine ‘Heroes of the UPA’, following consultations with the chapter, I have decided to strip the President of Ukraine of the Order of the White Eagle," stated Nawrocki.

He emphasised that this decision is not directed against the Ukrainian people and does not signify a change in the strategic direction of Polish security policy.

"We have supported and continue to support Ukraine, as we know that Russian aggression poses a threat to the security of Poland and the whole of Europe. Nothing has changed in this assessment. Russia is the aggressor, and Putin is a criminal who bears responsibility for unleashing a war that has become Europe’s greatest armed conflict since the end of the Second World War. Behind every residential area bombed, behind every child forced to flee the war, behind every family torn apart by violence, lies a decision taken in the Kremlin," added the Polish leader.

"Glorifying the UPA is unacceptable"

Nawrocki noted that Ukraine has the right to defend its independence, while Poland remains a defender of its sovereignty and territorial integrity. However, he said, Warsaw will consistently defend the memory of its citizens and the dignity of its national symbols and "will not agree to the glorification of those who killed defenseless Polish civilians."

"Ukraine’s path to European integration also requires a willingness to honestly confront the difficult chapters of its own history. A united Europe was built on the rejection of totalitarianism and the cult of violence. These principles must be binding for everyone. There can be no place in the European Union for those who do not understand this, and Poland will undoubtedly not allow it," the Polish president stated.

The Polish leader added that for the overwhelming majority of Polish society, the UPA remains first and foremost a group responsible for brutal crimes committed against Polish citizens, and the Polish state’s position on this issue has been well known for many years.

Scandal over the unit named after the Heroes of the UPA

Tensions in Ukrainian-Polish relations flared up after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree on 26 May awarding the Separate Special Operations Centre "North" of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine the honorary designation "in the name of the Heroes of the UPA". The text of the document stated that the decision had been taken with the aim of "restoring the historical traditions of the national army".
On 29 May, Polish President Karol Nawrocki announced his intention to strip Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle – Poland’s highest honour, which had been awarded to him in 2023 by the then Polish President Andrzej Duda.
Former Polish President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Lech Wałęsa, in a gesture of protest, demonstratively removed the badge featuring the Ukrainian flag that he always wore, and accused Zelenskyy of "honouring UPA bandits", which, in his words, "offended him personally and all the Poles who were killed".
Bartosz Cichocki, the former Polish Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Ukraine, officially returned the Order of Merit, which Zelenskyy had awarded him in 2022, in response to the same decision.
Marcin Przydacz, Head of the International Policy Bureau at the Office of the President of Poland, stated that Volodymyr Zelenskyy should personally telephone his Polish counterpart Karol Nawrocki and formally apologise for naming the Special Operations Forces unit ‘after the Heroes of the UPA’.