Polish President Andrzej Duda stripped Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of a state honor on Friday, citing the naming of a Kyiv army unit after a notorious WWII formation.
The honor, the Order of Polonia Restituta, was awarded to Zelenskyy in 2022 for his leadership during the Russian invasion. Duda said the decision was forced by the unit’s name, which references the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), a group accused of collaborating with Nazis and committing atrocities against Poles.
“We cannot celebrate a symbol that glorifies a movement responsible for the murder of tens of thousands of Polish civilians,” Duda told a press conference in Warsaw.
Why does this matter?
The episode exposes a fault line in the Poland‑Ukraine alliance, already strained by disagreements over wartime history, border security, and energy policy. For NATO members, it raises a question: how will divergent historical narratives affect collective defense against Russia?
Poland, a frontline NATO state, has been a vocal supporter of Kyiv’s fight, providing over €2 billion in military aid this year alone, according to the Ministry of Defense. Yet the revocation shows that political goodwill can be outweighed by domestic memory politics.
What happened next?
Ukrainian officials responded that the unit’s name reflects a broader struggle for independence, not extremist ideology. A spokesperson for the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence said the brigade’s designation was “a tribute to those who fought for a free Ukraine,” and promised to review the naming.
The Kyiv brigade, the 73rd Mechanized Infantry ‘Ukrainian Insurgent Army’ Battalion, was formed in 2023 as part of the ongoing expansion of Ukraine’s armed forces. Its commander, Colonel Oleksandr Hrytsenko, declined to comment on the controversy.
In Warsaw, opposition lawmakers seized on the issue, filing a parliamentary inquiry into the “politicisation of historical memory” in Poland’s foreign policy. Critics argue Duda’s move could alienate a key ally at a time when Russian missile strikes are intensifying along the eastern front.
For ordinary citizens in both capitals, the dispute is more than diplomatic posturing. Polish families who lost relatives in the 1940s still demand acknowledgement, while Ukrainians view the UPA as a symbol of resistance against both Soviet and Nazi occupation.
Analysts warn that such symbolic clashes may spill into concrete policy. If Poland tightens its support for Ukraine, Kyiv could face shortages in ammunition, intelligence sharing, and EU integration backing.
Looking ahead
Both governments have scheduled high‑level talks in Brussels next month, where the European Council hopes to mediate the dispute before it escalates.
Will the honor be restored, or will the naming controversy become a lingering scar on the Poland‑Ukraine partnership? The answer could shape NATO’s unity as the war drags on.