Posted on 06/19/2026 2:45:09 PM PDT by McGruff
Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky has been stripped of Poland's highest state honour, the Order of the White Eagle, over Kyiv's decision to name a military unit after controversial World War Two fighters.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki branded Ukraine's decision late last month to name the unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) "outrageous", "incomprehensible" and "deeply disappointing".
Many in Ukraine regard the UPA, which existed in the 1940s and 1950s, as heroes who fought for Ukrainian independence against the Soviet Red Army as well as Nazi Germany and Polish authorities. So for Ukrainians the title "Heroes of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army" is a major honour.
Poland, however, accuses the UPA of carrying out a genocide of ethnic Poles in Volhynia (now Volyn in Ukraine) in 1943-45.
"For the overwhelming majority of Polish society, the UPA remains, above all, a formation responsible for the brutal crimes committed against citizens of the Republic of Poland during World War II," Nawrocki said in a video released on the president's official website.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...
I lost a lot of respect for the klowns in the Polish government who were behind such an award.
I’m sure the Poles will happily welcome Zelensky and Ukraine in NATO when Putin makes his inevitable moves to assimilate Poland.
In the big scheme of things, an award between politicians means less than zero.
Never mind give him a Viking blood eagle instead.
When will this little DickTator allow an election?-|
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated he is ready to resign his position in exchange for guaranteed peace in Ukraine and the country being granted NATO membership. He has indicated he would be willing to step down immediately if it brings a definitive end to the war.
lol...”Z” is stuck on stupid”.
LOL, that "stupid" Z has successfully defended against Russia, who has four times the population of Ukraine and has the #2 military in the world, for 1,577 days which is longer than WW1 or WW2.
After the formal end of WW II, the UPA swept into what is now the southeast corner of Poland. In the 1960s, I heard my great uncle describe how they robbed and murdered the locals in my family’s ancestral village.
“I’m sure the Poles will happily welcome Zelensky and Ukraine in NATO when Putin makes his inevitable moves to assimilate Poland.”
Ridiculous. After all the troubles Russia has had trying to suppress Poland over the centuries, there’s no way the Russians would want to do this.
Har har, ain’t ever going to happen unless the Ukraine’s borders are settled to everyone’s satisfaction. Do you really believe any country in Europe would risk war with Russia for the Ukraine? Likely all of them would veto Ukraine joinin.
Zelensky has weakness in the Ukrainian parliament because of corruption involving his backers so he appeals to the ultra nationalists by naming a UPA brigade.
Meanwhile, government in Warsaw is split between a PiS President (Nawrocki) and KO parliament (Tusk) so Nawrocki decides to play the Polish nationalist card by withdrawing the award.
It's a confederacy of dunces.
It's like two neighbors arguing over who left the barn door open while the roof is on fire.
Nawrocki is right about the Polish Constitution needing revision. The current partial Presidential system that assigns important foreign policy roles to the President like signing treaties and command of the armed forces while leaving the foreign ministry in the hands of the parliamentary majority is unworkable because it can split the leadership of Poland's foreign policy between parties. That is evident in this case and in Tusk playing the crap weasel by signing agreements with Germany regarding the disposition and transit of German forces through Poland that amount to a treaty but because Tusk claims it's a subsidiary agreement it's suddenly not a treaty needing Nawrocki's signature. Bufoonery.
he was elected in 2019 and his term expired in 2024 Mr Knowitall.
and I got a bridge:-)
No, this is like Saudi Arabia naming a brigade “Jihadi heroes of 9/11”.
Wouldn’t the USA be justifiably angry?
Poland is still helping Ukraine militarily, but will not let them join the EU unless they
1. Allow the bodies of Polish civilians massacred by the UPA and dumped in mass graves ,to be exhumed and given Christian burials
2. Stop glorification of the UPA who targeted civilians for torture and murder
“The Poles are simply making fools of themselves: no one outside Poland is paying any attention to this affair, and for the few who are, this is yet another indication of Poland’s political immaturity and it’s inability to rise to the level of leadership needed for it to assume the position it is trying to achieve politically and militarily”
Sorry, but that is wrong.
I’ve lived in Poland since 2010 and, fir the past decade have dual citizenship though I have zero Polish or indeed, central/Eastern European ancestry.
But I think I know the history of this region much better than the average Pole or Ukrainian or Russian. And I’m not boasting.
Zelensky naming a unit “heroes of the UPA” is like Saudi Arabia naming a brigade “Jihadi heroes of 9/11”.
Wouldn’t the USA be justifiably angry?
Poland is still helping Ukraine militarily, but will not let them join the EU unless they
1. Allow the bodies of Polish civilians massacred by the UPA and dumped in mass graves ,to be exhumed and given Christian burials
2. Stop glorification of the UPA who targeted civilians for torture and murder
It is not political immaturity to say “we’ll ignore the historical issues for now, but please don’t name a unit after a group that tortured and massacred 100,000 Polish civilians whom they targeted. If you do that, we will keep supporting you militarily but we are going to veto any proposition for you to join the EU.”
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