Poland strips Zelensky of its highest state honour as diplomatic row deepens
Poland has stripped Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of its highest state honour after a Ukrainian military unit was renamed in tribute to the World War Two-era Ukrainian Insurgent Army. Warsaw holds the insurgents responsible for wartime massacres it classifies as genocide. Two former Ukrainian presidents and other senior officials have also returned Polish awards.
Poland has stripped Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of its highest state honour. The decision followed the renaming of a unit in the Ukrainian armed forces in tribute to the World War Two-era Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA).
Warsaw holds the UPA responsible for the killing of thousands of Polish civilians in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia between 1943 and 1945, classifying the events as genocide. In protest, two former Ukrainian presidents and other senior figures also returned awards they had received from Poland.
The row demonstrates how historical sensitivities between Kyiv and Warsaw can rapidly escalate into political tension despite Poland's central role in Ukrainian grain transit and refugee support. Cooperation on NATO's eastern flank will be closely watched in the coming weeks.
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