Poland Threatens to Strip Zelensky of White Eagle Over UPA Naming Row

Sat Jun 13 2026 12:34:59 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Ukraine’s decision to name a special forces unit after the controversial Ukrainian Insurgent Army sparks a row with Poland, prompting talks of revoking President Zelensky’s Order of the White Eagle.

Poland’s President Karol Nawrocki has warned that Volodymyr Zelensky could be stripped of the country’s highest state honour after Kyiv named a unit of the Special Operations Forces after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, a group blamed by Poles for mass killings in the 1940s. The decision has outraged Polish officials, who view the UPA as responsible for a genocide of ethnic Poles in Volhynia. The spat threatens to derail a diplomatic partnership that has seen Poland open borders for Ukrainian refugees and provide military support. Zelensky’s chief of staff visited Warsaw in a bid to ease tensions, but the controversy has already deepened divisions in the Polish parliament. The situation may influence Poland’s decisions on future Ukrainian aid and NATO defence arrangements.

Poland’s President Karol Nawrocki has announced that he will consider revoking Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Order of the White Eagle after Kyiv issued a decree naming a unit of the Special Operations Forces after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA). The UPA fought for Ukrainian independence in the 1940s and 1950s but is accused by Poles of mass killings of ethnic Poles in Volhynia during that period.

The naming decision sparked outrage in Warsaw, where the UPA is condemned as a group of bandits and killers. Nawrocki has summoned the council of the order and said he will decide whether to revoke the honour “in due course”. The tension comes amid a broader diplomatic spat between the two countries.

Poles have already criticised Zelensky, with some members of the opposition Law and Justice party calling for a reassessment of ties with Kyiv. The far‑right Confederation party has demanded that Polish funding of Ukraine’s Starlink satellite network be halted and that Ukraine be blocked from joining the EU until the decree is reversed.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk urged Kyiv to find a solution, stressing that “diplomacy” must win over business. Yet Tusk admitted that talks with Zelensky had not yet yielded results.

Zelensky’s chief of staff Kyrylo Budanov travelled to Warsaw last weekend to ease tensions, but the visit ended with Nawrocki bringing the council of the order to discuss the issue further. Tusk has clarified that the Polish airport is still open to Zelensky, though some analysts worry that stripping him of the award could cause a major diplomatic rupture.

The dispute may stand in the way of a forthcoming conference on Ukraine’s post‑war reconstruction in Gdansk and could strengthen anti‑Ukraine sentiment in Polish politics.