Poland has officially taken a wait-and-see position and given Volodymyr Zelensky "a little more time" to reconsider his decree on naming the Special Operations Center "North" with the honorary name "In the Name of the Heroes of the UPA" (Ukrainian Insurgent Army), before Warsaw took diplomatic retaliatory measures, Liga.net reported.
The press secretary of the Polish President Rafal Leskiewicz confirmed that Warsaw expects a reaction or a direct call from Kiev, describing Ukraine's decision as “shameful“.
Polish-Ukrainian relations have been seriously strained after Zelensky signed the decree on May 26, 2026.
In Poland, this organization is responsible for the mass massacres and ethnic cleansing of Poles in the Volyn region in 1943.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki has proposed officially revoking the Order of the White Eagle from Volodymyr Zelensky. This is the highest state award of Poland, awarded to Zelensky in 2023. Press Secretary Leskiewicz specified that Nawrocki will not make a final decision on the order before his visit to the United States at the invitation of Donald Trump. Warsaw deliberately gives a few days of delay with the words “diplomacy loves silence“ and the hope that Kiev will cancel the decree itself.
A source in Ukrainian intelligence circles and the authorities in Kiev told the media that Ukraine has no intention of changing the name of the unit, despite sharp criticism. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry commented that for their military, the UPA is a symbol of resistance to Moscow's imperial policy and is not directed against Poland.
The legendary former president Lech Walesa publicly removed the badge with the Ukrainian flag from his lapel and accused Zelensky of insulting the memory of the fallen Poles. Former Polish ambassador to Ukraine Bartosz Cichocki returned his Ukrainian Order of Merit in protest.
In the city of Lublin, local authorities officially removed the Ukrainian flag from the city hall building, where it had been flying since the beginning of the Russian invasion.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also criticized the decision, saying that the Ukrainian side "lacks sensitivity" on historical issues.