The Polish president revoked Ukraine’s highest civilian award from the Ukrainian president after the latter honored a military unit with the name of a World War II resistance group.
The decision follows longstanding controversy surrounding the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, which collaborated with Nazi Germany during the early stages of the Soviet invasion and participated in anti‑Jewish pogroms.
In 1942 the Ukrainian Insurgent Army emerged after the nationalist organization split from the Germans, drawing many members from former Nazi‑aligned formations, including its future commander, a former deputy of the Nachtigall Battalion.
The Ukrainian president’s naming of a commando unit after “heroes of the UPA” prompted the award’s removal, citing the group’s wartime record as incompatible with the honor.
In response, several Ukrainian officials returned their own Polish decorations to Warsaw, signaling a reciprocal diplomatic rebuke.
The episode underscores persistent historical grievances that continue to shape relations between the two neighboring states.
