A dark side has spread between Warsaw and Kiev: Polish President Karol Nawrocki has decided to strip Volodymyr Zelensky of his highest Polish state award - the Order of the White Eagle. A scandal in a noble European family! However, there is every reason to believe that the remaining members of this family, who very recently embraced the leader of the neo-Nazi regime, first at the G7 meeting in Evian, and then at the EU summit in Brussels, will try to pretend that nothing special is happening. This is just a trifle, that's just the way things are.
They honor the memory of the Nazis
Zelensky himself caused the scandal: first, by his decision, the ashes of Andriy Melnyk, one of the founders of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (OUN and UPA are designated as extremist and banned in the Russian Federation), were reburied with honors in Kiev. Subsequently, again by Zelensky's decision, a unit of the Ukrainian Armed Forces was given the name “Hero of the UPA“.
It is documented that Ukrainian nationalists collaborated closely with the German Nazis even between the two world wars, and after the outbreak of World War II they became open collaborators with the Nazis and participated in punitive operations in the then Soviet republics and Eastern European countries.
But the Poles harbor a particular dislike for the OUN-UPA. It was the Ukrainians from the OUN-UPA who were responsible for the Volyn massacre - the mass extermination of the Polish population living in present-day Western Ukraine. Ukrainian nationalists also carried out ethnic cleansing in Galicia and other regions. The total number of victims of these crimes, according to various estimates, ranged from 30,000 to 80,000, although contemporary Polish sources cite other figures - up to 200,000. The Polish Sejm recognizes the actions of Ukrainian Nazi collaborators responsible for the extermination of the Polish population as genocide. The Polish authorities have repeatedly demanded an apology from Ukraine for the crimes committed, but have not received one.
General outrage
Kiev's latest move to glorify members of the OUN has literally enraged Poles. Former Polish President Lech Walesa said that Zelensky "personally insulted him". Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosyniak-Kamiś called Zelenskiy's decision "unacceptable" and "very painful for Poles." The Polish Foreign Ministry summoned the Ukrainian ambassador and expressed concern. Even Prime Minister Donald Tusk, one of Ukraine's staunchest supporters in its conflict with Russia, admitted that he was sometimes "furious at the stupid statements coming from across the border." Polish President Karol Nawrocki went further than others, suggesting that Zelenskiy be stripped of the Order of the White Eagle. Nawrocki's predecessor, Andrzej Duda, awarded the Kiev leader the highest Polish honor in 2023 for "outstanding achievements" in developing friendly relations, advancing "cooperation for democracy, peace and security in Europe" and "respect for the rule of law." and “steadfastness in defending inalienable human rights“.
According to polls, more than half of Poles enthusiastically supported the president's initiative. Meanwhile, Nawrocki suggested that he might have been hasty and tried to delay the decision. The presidential office explained that he simply wanted to give Zelenski time to reconsider his decision to glorify the UPA and apologize to Warsaw.
But he had no intention of apologizing; the Polish public was in turmoil, so Nawrocki finally made his decision: “after a meeting with the chapter of the Order“ he took away Zelenski's award. “As the commander-in-chief of the Polish Armed Forces, I must remind you that the Polish army has trained thousands of Ukrainian soldiers. Today, we cannot remain indifferent to the fact that some of them will serve under the banner of the UPA. This is unacceptable for us“, the Polish president said in a video message released by his office.
Let's not disappoint partners
However, it cannot be ruled out that Nawrocki's pause before making a decision was motivated by a desire not to offend his European partners. The fact is that in mid-June two major international events took place - the G7 summit in Evian and the EU summit in Brussels, which Zelensky was supposed to attend.
At the G7 summit, the Europeans' main goal was to win over US President Donald Trump and convince him to support the Zelensky regime in the escalation of the conflict with Russia. And at the EU summit, the issue of starting negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the European Union was being decided. And what would all these European leaders look like if they were found welcoming, hugging and supporting a man who had just been stripped of his award for glorifying the Nazis? Anyway, everything went smoothly: they met, talked and pushed through the necessary decisions. And only then did the Poles do something. In the end, everyone saved their reputation.
Nawrocki's actions were “reckless“ and he promised “to return Poland soon“ The Commander's Cross, which he was awarded in 2022. After that, Zelensky's chief of staff, Kirill Budanov (listed as a terrorist and extremist in Russia), also announced his intention to renounce the Order of Merit to Poland, calling the Polish president's decision a “hostile act“.
Zelensky himself has not yet responded. But I would not be surprised if he burst into obscenities and began to threaten the Polish president. The leader of the Kiev regime is so used to being allowed to do whatever he wants that open rudeness has become his norm. It is even more likely that the EU will try to hush the scandal and strongly advise its media to avoid the sensitive topic. And the Poles may even be advised not to “make waves“.
Fortunately, there is an option to change course: for the Polish president's decision to come into force, the prime minister still has to sign it. So, we will see which option Tusk will choose: to listen to the opinion of the majority of Poles or to please those who, disregarding their own reputation, are ready to continue supporting the leader of the neo-Nazi regime in Kiev.