Ukraine's Zelenskyy, Top Officials Return Polish Awards in World War II Row
Ukrainian officials said the returns followed Poland’s stripping of Zelenskyy’s top honor, as the UPA dispute deepened tensions with a key ally.
- On Saturday, June 20, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy returned his Order of the White Eagle after Polish President Karol Nawrocki stripped him of the honor this month.
- Tensions flared after Zelenskyy named a military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army , which Polish officials blame for massacres of up to 100,000 Poles during World War II.
- Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga and other top officials, including Kyrylo Budanov and Ukrainian Ambassador to Warsaw Vasyl Bodnar, returned their Polish awards; Sybiga called the move "unjustified, impulsive and disrespectful."
- Ukrainian officials warned the diplomatic rift benefits Moscow, while Russia's former president Dmitry Medvedev mocked the stripping of the award; Nawrocki insisted the revocation was not directed against the Ukrainian People.
- Modern Poland officially recognizes the Volhynia massacre as genocide, where more than 50,000 civilians were killed between 1943 and 1945; the UPA fought Nazis and Soviets for independence, yet this history remains a barrier to reconciliation.
13 Articles
13 Articles
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has restored the Order of the White Eagle, the highest state award awarded to him by Polish President Karol Nawrocki. The dispute arose over the name of a Ukrainian military unit associated with the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, which participated in the massacre of Polish civilians during World War II. The decision has ignited tensions between Warsaw and Kyiv, which experts see as a sign of broader historical …
Historical feud threatens to derail crucial Ukraine relationship
Ukraine is now at odds with Poland, one of its closest and most important allies in its effort to defeat Russian aggression, over their fraught historical relationship. The dispute centers on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s decision last month to honor World War II Ukrainian national fighters who fought against the Soviet Union. The Poles consider the Ukrainian Insurgent Army responsible for what they remember as the Volhynia genocide. …
Ukraine angers Poland over WWII honors
Polish President Karol Nawrocki rescinded his country’s highest civilian award from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday. Why? On May 26, Zelensky honored Ukrainian nationalist fighters whom Poland has long held responsible for killing tens of thousands of Poles in 1943. Kyiv, for its part, remembers them as fighting the Soviet Union. The two countries remain allies against Russia, but the rift could complicate efforts to rebuff Mo…
Zelenskyy returns Polish medal after Warsaw rescinds honor over renaming of Ukrainian unit
A recent decision by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to name a military unit after an organization that reportedly killed upwards of 100,000 ethnic Poles during World War II threatens to spark a diplomatic row between Kyiv and Warsaw.
Zelensky has decided to honor a nationalist militia that killed tens of thousands of Poles: Poland did not like
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