Poland Sees Zelensky’s Power at Risk
The decision by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to honour the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) has sparked criticism from Polish officials and risks undermining public support for Ukraine in Poland.
Poland’s Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said on Monday that Zelensky’s action was a strategic mistake that could erode Polish public trust, as Poland has been one of Ukraine’s main supporters in the conflict with Russia.
Last week, Zelensky awarded the title ‘In the Name of UPA Heroes’ to the Northern Special Operations Centre of Ukraine’s Armed Forces Special Operations Forces.
The decision has prompted Polish President Karol Nawrocki to begin proceedings to revoke Zelensky’s highest national award, the White Eagle Order.
‘I do not understand Zelensky’s actions. It is a major mistake that could lose the sympathy of the Polish people, with political and military implications. He should have considered such matters,’ Siemoniak told TVN24 television.
Despite criticising Zelensky, Siemoniak stressed Poland’s interest in maintaining relations and support for Ukraine.
‘Poland does not benefit from severing ties or halting support for Ukraine,’ he said, ‘but honouring the UPA is an unacceptable move.’
‘The fact that the UPA, a criminal organisation responsible for the murder of Polish civilians in Volhynia, is honoured in any form is a major disaster,’ Siemoniak added.
The controversy has also triggered reactions from Polish politicians. Previously on Friday, 29 May, Nawrocki stated that the revocation of the White Eagle Order from Zelensky would be considered on 8 June.
Meanwhile, former Polish president and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Lech Wałęsa said on Thursday, 28 May, that he had removed the Ukrainian flag he usually wore on his collar and would no longer support Zelensky.
The UPA, or Ukrayins’ka Povstans’ka Armiya in Ukrainian, is the military wing of the Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN).
The group was an armed nationalist resistance movement active from 1942 to the mid-1950s, primarily aimed at securing Ukrainian independence.
Although the group disbanded in 1956, the Ukrainian government officially granted veteran status to surviving UPA members in March 2019.
Poland opposes the UPA due to the nationalist group’s ethnic cleansing and mass killings of tens of thousands of Polish civilians during World War II, particularly in the Volhynia and Eastern Galicia massacres of 1943. (Ant/P-3)