Relations between Ukraine and its neighboring countries

What is behind the dispute that led Ukrainian presidents to return their Polish honours

Published

17.07.2026

Polish President Karol Nawrocki stripped Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Poland’s highest honour, the Order of the White Eagle, in response to Ukraine’s decision to name a Special Operations Forces unit after the “Heroes of the UPA”. This move continues the anti-Ukrainian rhetoric that featured prominently in Nawrocki’s presidential campaign. Yet his current position contradicts what he himself said three years ago about Ukrainians’ right to choose their own heroes. In a show of solidarity, every living president of Ukraine returned their Order of the White Eagle. Behind this symbolic gesture lies a fundamental question: who has the right to decide whom the Ukrainian people should regard as their heroes? Ukraine condemns the mass killing of civilians — both Polish and Ukrainian — and acknowledges that the conflict in Volhynia involved violence by both sides. At the same time, Ukrainians honour those UPA fighters who fought for independence against both the Soviet and Nazi regimes.

On 26 May, ahead of Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces Day, President Zelenskyy conferred the honorary designation “Heroes of the UPA” on the Separate Special Operations Centre “North” of the Special Operations Forces. This was not a spontaneous decision: the initiative came from the military personnel themselves, who are fighting against Russia, and was endorsed by the president. Ukrainian military units and streets have been named after figures from the country’s liberation movement for years. Roman Shukhevych was awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine in 2007, Stepan Bandera in 2010, and a major avenue in Kyiv was named after Bandera in 2016.

This time, however, Poland’s response has been driven largely by domestic politics. Unlike his predecessor Andrzej Duda, Karol Nawrocki made extensive use of anti-Ukrainian rhetoric during his campaign in Poland’s 2025 presidential election. Paradoxically, in 2023, while serving as head of Poland’s Institute of National Remembrance, Nawrocki said: “I recognise that Ukrainians have the right to choose their own heroes. If they regard Stepan Bandera or Roman Shukhevych as heroes, it is not for Poles to decide whom Ukrainian streets should be named after.” His current position contradicts what he himself declared three years ago.

Honouring the UPA does not mean approving of everything that happened during those tragic years. Ukraine condemns the mass killing of civilians — both Polish and Ukrainian — and acknowledges that the conflict in Volhynia involved violence by both sides. For more on our assessment of those events, see our article on the Volhynia tragedy. At the same time, Ukrainians primarily honour those UPA fighters who fought for independence against the Soviet and Nazi regimes. Their struggle forms part of Ukraine’s liberation movement — just as Poland has the right to honour its own independence fighters, some of whom also fought against Ukrainians.

For the first time in many years, Ukraine’s former and current presidents — representing different political eras and often finding themselves on opposing sides of political disputes — have publicly demonstrated a united position. Ukraine is grateful to Poland for its invaluable support during the war and has a strong interest in maintaining its strategic partnership with Poland. But there is one principle on which we will not compromise: no country has the right to decide for another whom it should regard as its heroes. The Kremlin stands to benefit most from this dispute, as we explained in a separate article, which is precisely why both sides must find a path towards dialogue.