What Happens to Zelensky’s Order of the White Eagle? The President’s Office Responds

After Karol Nawrocki moved to strip Volodymyr Zelensky of the Order of the White Eagle due to a UPA-related unit naming, the Ukrainian president returned the decoration, sparking a wave of renunciations from Ukrainian officials.

The fate of returned decorations

Karol Nawrocki initiated the revocation of the Order of the White Eagle from Volodymyr Zelensky following the naming of a Ukrainian military unit after the UPA. Zelensky responded by returning the decoration to Poland before Prime Minister Donald Tusk could sign off on the decision. Subsequently, former Ukrainian presidents Leonid Kuchma, Viktor Yushchenko, and Petro Poroshenko, along with other high-ranking officials including Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and Ambassador Vasyl Bodnar, also renounced their Polish state honors.

Legal procedures for revocation

According to the President’s Office, the handling of returned decorations is governed by a 2004 regulation. Returned orders are placed in a deposit managed by the Decorations and Nominations Bureau within the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland. The revocation only becomes formally effective once the president’s resolution is published in the “Monitor Polski,” which automatically invalidates the recipient’s credentials.

Eligibility and criteria for awards

The Order of the White Eagle is Poland’s highest honor, awarded for exceptional civil or military service. Presidents hold the authority to grant or revoke these honors, often following motions from the Order Chapters or relevant state authorities. Revocation typically occurs if an award was granted under false pretenses or if the recipient commits an act deemed to make them unworthy of the honor.