During a meeting in Tarnogród on June 2, Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski stated that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a mistake by naming a Ukrainian military unit after the “Heroes of the UPA.”
Diplomatic friction over unit naming
Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski confirmed that back-channel discussions are underway, expressing hope that Kyiv will find a way to correct what he labeled a strategic error. He emphasized that while Poland has a right to demand such a correction, it is crucial not to allow Russian disinformation to undermine the Polish-Ukrainian alliance.
Sikorski noted that history remains complex and that national heroes in one country are not necessarily celebrated in another. However, he maintained that there are clear boundaries that should not be crossed.
Official reactions and historical context
President Zelenskyy justified the decision as an effort to restore historical military traditions and recognize the unit’s performance in defending Ukraine’s territorial integrity. This move sparked immediate criticism from Polish leadership, including Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who called the decision troubling and insensitive to Polish history.
Karol Nawrocki, head of the Institute of National Remembrance, announced his proposal to discuss the revocation of the Order of the White Eagle, which was awarded to Zelenskyy by former President Andrzej Duda in 2023.
The UPA controversy
The Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) remains a central point of contention. Polish historians classify the 1943 attacks on approximately 150 Volhynian villages as genocide, identifying members of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists and the UPA as the perpetrators.
Warsaw and Kyiv hold differing interpretations of these events. While Poland labels the actions as genocide, many Ukrainian officials view them as part of a wider conflict and emphasize the UPA’s role as a symbol of resistance against the Soviet Union.
