Zelensky Returns Poland’s Highest Honor as Historical Dispute Escalates

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has returned the highest honor he received from the Polish government at Poland’s request. This comes as historical disputes between Ukraine and Poland have escalated.

On June 20 (local time), President Zelensky announced on X (formerly Twitter) that he had returned the Order of the White Eagle, which he had received from the Polish government in 2023, to the Polish president. He wrote, “I believe the future will confirm the respect that Ukrainians deserve.” Zelensky also attached a photo of the medal taken at the Kyiv post office just before it was sent to Poland.

Regarding the revocation of the award by Poland, President Zelensky stated, “I will not object,” but he also pointed out that controversial recipients such as Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini and former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, known for his pro-Russian stance, still hold Polish medals. In doing so, he directed criticism at the Polish side.

This incident began last month when President Zelensky granted the honorary title of “Heroes of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA)” to the country’s Northern Independent Special Operations Center.

The UPA was a Ukrainian nationalist armed group that fought against the Soviet Union during World War II. The topic remains extremely sensitive between Ukraine and Poland. Some UPA units are suspected of collaborating with the Nazis and participating in the Volhynia (Ukrainian name: Volyn) massacre in 1943–1944, where around 100,000 Poles lost their lives.

The Polish right-wing has demanded that the government officially recognize this event as genocide (genocide·the extermination of a specific group). In contrast, many in Ukraine view the responsibility as not one-sided, since retaliatory attacks by Poland also resulted in the deaths of about 10,000 Ukrainians.

As the controversy over the “Heroes of the UPA” title grew, Polish President Karol Nawrocki decided to revoke the medal that had been awarded to President Zelensky.

Previously, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Poland supported Ukraine and opened its border, which adjoins western Ukraine, to millions of refugees. In April 2023, Poland awarded President Zelensky the Order of the White Eagle in recognition of his efforts against Russia. However, due to the ongoing historical dispute surrounding the UPA, the honor was ultimately revoked.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.