On May 26, 2026, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a decree naming a special forces unit of the Ukrainian army after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), a nationalist group active during World War II [1, 2, 3]. The UPA fought against both the Soviet Red Army and Nazi Germany seeking Ukrainian independence but carried out massacres of ethnic Poles in Volhynia and eastern Galicia between 1943 and 1945, which Poland considers genocide [1, 2, 3].

Polish President Karol Nawrocki condemned Zelenskyy's decree as glorifying "bandits and killers." Nawrocki announced plans to consider revoking the Order of the White Eagle, Poland's highest honor, which was awarded to Zelenskyy in 2023 by former President Andrzej Duda [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. A jury was scheduled to discuss the revocation on June 8, 2026 [1, 2, 3, 5]. Nawrocki has called Ukraine "not ready to join the European family" and said, "In the European family, you cannot glorify bandits [who] murdered women and children, murdered Poles" [2].

Poland estimates about 100,000 ethnic Poles were killed in the Volhynia massacres [1, 5, 6]. The naming decision has sparked diplomatic tensions, with opposition MPs and far-right groups in Poland calling to reassess relations and halt aid or EU accession talks with Ukraine [1, 2, 3, 5, 6]. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk urged both sides to engage in "direct and honest dialogue" to maintain unity against Russia. Tusk warned, "If not, it will mean that not empathy but hard business will determine our relations" [1, 5].

Public opinion in Poland is negatively affected by historical grievances, refugee inflows from Ukraine, and disputes over food imports [5, 6]. Nawrocki has criticized Poland's generous support for Ukrainian refugees and expressed skepticism about Ukraine joining the EU [2, 3]. Since his election in 2025, Nawrocki has not officially visited Kyiv but met with Zelenskyy in Warsaw in December 2025 [2, 3]. The Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza has accused Nawrocki of fueling anti-Ukrainian sentiment [2, 3].

Ukraine defends the decision as honoring a national tradition of resisting Soviet and Nazi occupation and says it is not intended to offend Poland [1, 2, 5, 6]. The jury's decision on June 8 about revoking Zelenskyy's Order of the White Eagle will mark the next key development in the dispute [2, 3, 5].