Zelenskyy Returns Poland's Order of the White Eagle in Protest Against Reactionary Historical Revisionism
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has returned the Order of the White Eagle after Polish President Karol Nawrocki revoked it, citing the naming of a military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army—a move that exposes ongoing nationalist manipulation of WWII history.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on X that he had returned Poland’s highest state decoration, the Order of the White Eagle, after Polish President Karol Nawrocki rescinded the honor. Zelenskyy emphasized that the order was meant for the Ukrainian people and armed forces, expressing hope that future relations would be based on the respect Ukraine has earned through its struggle for self-determination and resistance against imperialist aggression.
Nawrocki’s decision to revoke the award followed Zelenskyy’s May 26 decree naming a Special Operations Forces unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), a WWII-era group vilified in Poland for alleged crimes against Polish civilians. In a 13-minute social-media address, Nawrocki repeated reactionary narratives, labeling the UPA as “responsible for cruel crimes against the citizens of the Polish Republic during World War II,” ignoring the complex historical context of anti-fascist and anti-Soviet resistance.
The revocation has drawn criticism within Poland, a country that has welcomed millions of Ukrainian refugees and remains a crucial supporter of Kyiv’s fight against Russian imperialism. Nawrocki insisted that the move does not change Poland’s support for Ukraine’s defense, but his actions risk playing into the hands of nationalist forces and undermining solidarity against authoritarian threats.
Ukraine’s presidential office condemned the revocation as “an unfriendly act toward our people” and warned that such divisive gestures could be weaponized by Russia to fracture the anti-war alliance. Several Ukrainian officials have pledged to return other Polish honors in solidarity.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, a centrist rival to Nawrocki, urged both leaders to “tone down emotions, not stoke tensions,” warning that the dispute “delights Putin and shocks our allies.”
Zelenskyy’s decree clarified that naming the unit after the UPA was intended to restore suppressed military traditions and honor those who defended Ukraine’s territorial integrity against both Nazi and Soviet occupation. While the UPA’s legacy is contested, Poland’s 2016 parliamentary resolution branding it as genocidal reflects a one-sided historical narrative. Recent bilateral talks had shown hope for reconciliation, including cooperation on exhumations of Polish victims, but reactionary politics now threaten to derail this progress.