Zelenskyy sparks diplomatic crisis with Poland over naming Ukrainian military unit after WWII-era militia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has sparked a diplomatic crisis with Poland by naming a special forces unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), a WWII-era militia. Poland, a key ally, considers the UPA responsible for a genocide of over 100,000 Poles in Volhynia. Polish President Karol Nawrocki condemned the move and is seeking to strip Zelenskyy of Poland's highest honor, while Ukraine frames the UPA as a symbol of resistance against Moscow.

Zelenskyy decree honoring UPA

• ▪On May 26, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a decree giving a special forces unit the honorary name "Heroes of the UPA"
• ▪The stated purpose of the decree was "to restore the historical traditions of the national army."

UPA Volhynia massacre history

• ▪The UPA committed war crimes against ethnic Polish civilians, including the massacres in Volhynia and eastern Galicia
• ▪The Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) was the armed wing of the far-right Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) during World War II
• ▪Poland considers the massacres a genocide, with the number of Polish victims estimated at more than 100,000
• ▪As many as 20,000 Ukrainians were killed in reprisals by Polish partisans during the same period

Polish diplomatic condemnation

• ▪Polish President Karol Nawrocki stated the decree shows Ukraine is not mentally ready to be part of the "European family."
• ▪Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called the decision a violation of Poland's "historical sensibility" but urged against escalation
• ▪The award jury for the Order of the White Eagle is scheduled to discuss the case on June 8
• ▪Nawrocki initiated a process to strip Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle, Poland's highest state honor

Ukrainian nationalist memory politics

• ▪In Ukraine, the UPA is revered by some as a model of resistance for fighting against the sovietization of the country into the 1950s
• ▪The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said the UPA name symbolizes opposition to Moscow's imperial policies and is not aimed at Poland
• ▪A lecturer at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy said honoring such figures serves as a "defiant gesture" to annoy Russia

Repatriation of nationalist remains

• ▪Ukraine is also campaigning for the return of the remains of other nationalist leaders, including Stepan Bandera
• ▪A day before the decree, Zelenskyy presided over the state reburial of Andriy Melnyk, an OUN leader who advocated for Nazi collaboration