Polish President Andrzej Nawrocki has formally moved to initiate a review that could result in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy being stripped of Poland's highest state decoration, the Order of the White Eagle, according to Reuters. The action follows Ukraine's military decision to rename an elite special operations unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army — known by its Ukrainian acronym UPA — a nationalist partisan force whose wartime record includes the massacre of tens of thousands of ethnic Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia during World War II.

Reuters reported that Nawrocki, who took office earlier this year, has requested that the relevant Polish state body formally discuss the revocation of the honor, which was awarded to Zelenskyy by his predecessor Andrzej Duda in 2023 in recognition of Ukraine's resistance to the Russian invasion. Al Jazeera Online confirmed the move, noting that the Polish president framed the Ukrainian unit's naming as deeply offensive to Polish historical memory and incompatible with the spirit in which the decoration was originally granted.

The Ukrainian Insurgent Army fought for Ukrainian independence during and after World War II, and is regarded by many Ukrainians as a symbol of national resistance. However, in Poland the UPA is predominantly remembered for its role in the Volhynia massacres of 1943–1945, in which an estimated 50,000 to 100,000 Polish civilians were killed. The episode remains one of the most sensitive historical fault lines between the two neighboring nations, and successive Polish governments have designated the killings as genocide, a characterization Ukraine has not formally adopted.

Euronews English noted that the naming decision by Ukraine's military has reignited longstanding tensions over how each country commemorates the same historical period, and that Polish officials across party lines expressed outrage. The Washington Examiner reported that Polish parliamentarians and public figures echoed Nawrocki's sentiments, with several describing the unit's naming as an act of historical provocation at a particularly delicate moment in regional diplomacy.

Ukraine's government moved swiftly to attempt to contain the diplomatic fallout. Ukrinform-EN reported that Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement arguing that the commemoration of UPA heroes carried no anti-Polish undertones and was intended as an expression of Ukrainian national identity rather than a slight against Poland. The MFA emphasized the UPA's role as a force that fought Soviet occupation and stressed that the naming was a sovereign military decision consistent with Ukraine's broader effort to honor its independence movement.

Censor.NET, citing Ukraine's Foreign Ministry, reported that Kyiv believes only Moscow stands to benefit from disputes between Ukraine and Poland, framing the controversy as a potential tool of Russian information warfare designed to fracture Western unity. The outlet quoted a ministry spokesperson who urged both sides to resolve the disagreement through dialogue rather than public confrontation, arguing that the alliance between the two countries is strategically vital.

Interfax-Ukraine reported that Poland's chargé d'affaires held a formal conversation with Ukraine's deputy foreign minister in the wake of the controversy, indicating that diplomatic channels remain open even as public statements on both sides have hardened. The meeting was described as a frank exchange, though neither government disclosed the specific content of the discussions.

WTX News provided additional context on the unit in question, describing it as an elite formation within Ukraine's Special Operations Forces. The outlet noted that the naming decision was made at the military level, and it remains unclear to what degree civilian political leadership in Kyiv was directly involved in or aware of the potential diplomatic consequences before the name was publicly announced.

Yahoo News, citing Polish government sources, reported that Nawrocki's move is largely symbolic at this stage, as the formal process for revoking a state decoration involves multiple institutional steps and is unlikely to be resolved quickly. Analysts cited in EconoTimes suggested the gesture is partly directed at a domestic Polish audience, given the deep emotional resonance the Volhynia massacres hold in Polish public memory, particularly among older generations and nationalist constituencies.

The episode has thrown into relief the complexity of the Poland-Ukraine relationship, which has been one of the most consequential bilateral partnerships in European security since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022. Poland has served as a major transit hub for Western military aid to Ukraine, has taken in millions of Ukrainian refugees, and has consistently advocated for stronger NATO and EU support for Kyiv. Whether the current dispute will have lasting effects on that strategic relationship, or will be managed through quiet diplomacy, remains unresolved at the time of reporting.