Aditya DidwaniyaA Polish lawmaker from the Law and Justice party fired back at Ukrainians who threatened to boycott Poland saying they are simply not welcome, following a diplomatic row sparked by Zelensky’s move to name a special forces unit after UPA heroes.
Poland Draws a Hard Line on Ukrainian Political Threats
A Polish member of parliament Kazimierz Smoliński of the Law and Justice party has made it very clear that Poland will not bow to political pressure from Ukrainians. He posted a sharp message on X, saying Poland does not accept blackmail and does not want those making threats to visit at all.
“To Ukrainians who are threatening to never come to Poland again after Zelensky’s Order of the White Eagle is taken away I calmly say: then don’t come,” he wrote, responding directly to Kyiv’s growing frustration.
What Triggered This Diplomatic Fallout
The row traces back to a decision by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky who named the Special Operations Forces’ Separate Special Operations Center “North” after “Heroes of the UPA.” The move immediately sparked outrage in Warsaw.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki moved quickly in response initiating the formal process to strip Zelensky of Poland’s highest state honor, the Order of the White Eagle.
Who Were the UPA and Why Does It Matter to Poland
The Ukrainian Insurgent Army known as UPA served as the armed wing of the OUN. During World War II, it fought against Soviet forces while collaborating with Nazi Germany. The organization carries a deeply dark legacy in Polish history most notably for the Volhynia Massacre of 1943, when thousands of Polish civilians were brutally killed in the Volhynia region. Thousands of Ukrainians who refused to cooperate with the nationalists also lost their lives in the same violence.
The UPA is classified as a terrorist organization in Russia. Poland’s reaction underlines just how raw these historical wounds remain even eight decades later.
Akshay Didwaniya
Mayur Mohta
