Overview
- Polish President Karol Nawrocki revoked Volodymyr Zelensky's Order of the White Eagle on Friday, June 19, after Zelensky issued a May 26 decree naming a Ukrainian Special Operations unit for the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA).
- Ukraine condemned the move with Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha calling the decision a "strategic mistake" that helps Moscow and saying he will refuse a Polish award previously conferred on him.
- The UPA is remembered in Ukraine by some as an anti-Soviet resistance force but is widely held in Poland responsible for mass killings in Volhynia in World War II and was labeled as crimes amounting to genocide by the Polish parliament in 2016.
- Warsaw says the revocation does not change Poland's formal support for Ukraine's defense, but a poll cited in reporting found public attitudes in Poland have worsened and political backlash could complicate logistics, military aid routes and refugee support.
- Polish and Ukrainian leaders warn the dispute could be exploited by Russia and the row will test cooperation in upcoming events on Ukraine's reconstruction and in everyday security and humanitarian coordination.