Morawiecki Returns Ukrainian Order, Declaring Volhynia a Genocide

Former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has returned the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, stating the Volhynia massacre was a deliberate genocide that must be properly accounted for by history.

Morawiecki’s Protest Against Ukrainian Elites

During a Tuesday press conference in front of the Sejm, Mateusz Morawiecki announced he is returning his Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise. The medal will be donated to the Museum of the Victims of the Volhynian Massacre in Chełm to serve as a reminder of the atrocities committed.

Morawiecki stated that if the current Ukrainian elite refuses to address the massacre, he will act on their behalf. He emphasized that the Volhynian Massacre was not merely a local conflict or a painful episode, but a genocide carried out with particular cruelty.

Demands for Legislative Change

The former prime minister called for new legislation that would criminalize the promotion of symbols associated with Bandera-era nationalism. He demanded legal changes to prohibit the financing of any organizations that glorify or affirm Ukrainian nationalists responsible for the murders of Poles.

Escalating Diplomatic Tensions

Morawiecki is the latest in a series of PiS politicians, including Jarosław Kaczyński, Mariusz Błaszczak, Zbigniew Rau, Marek Kuchciński, and Adam Bielan, to return Ukrainian state honors. Kaczyński described his decision as an expression of his stance toward the Ukrainian political elite.

This follows an earlier diplomatic row sparked when Karol Nawrocki stripped Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle due to a Ukrainian military unit being named after UPA heroes. In response, several former Ukrainian presidents and high-ranking officials have renounced their own Polish state decorations.