Controversy over UPA heroes: talk in Poland of blocking Ukraine’s accession to the EU

Bosak made this statement on RMF24.

A political scandal continues in Poland over Ukraine’s decision to name one of its Special Operations Forces units after the Heroes of the UPA.

Krzysztof Bosak, Deputy Speaker of the Polish Sejm and leader of the far-right “Confederation” party, stated that Warsaw must move from symbolic statements to exerting concrete pressure on Kyiv.

According to him, Poland should block Ukraine’s accession to the European Union until the Ukrainian side, as he put it, “moves away from the cult of criminals” and “unblocks all exhumations” of the victims of the Volhynia tragedy.

What Bosak proposed

Bosak stated that the possible stripping of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle would be merely symbolic.

In his view, if Poland wants to exert real pressure on Ukraine, more concrete steps are needed.

Among such measures, he cited blocking Ukraine’s accession to the EU, halting Starlink payments for Ukraine, and refusing to jointly borrow funds with other EU countries to support Kyiv.

The politician also sharply criticised the current Polish government’s approach to relations with Ukraine.

According to him, the coalition parties in Poland have allegedly created a situation in which Ukrainian politicians “treat Polish leaders with contempt”, consider them weak and are convinced that any provocation will go unchallenged.

What caused the scandal

On 27 May, it was announced that the “North” Special Operations Centre of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine had been awarded the honorary title “Named after the Heroes of the UPA”.

Decree No. 440/2026 of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that this was done “with the aim of restoring the historical traditions of the national army” and in view of the unit’s exemplary performance of its duties in defending Ukraine’s territorial integrity and independence.

This decision provoked a sharp reaction from some in the Polish political establishment. For Poland, the subject of the UPA is inextricably linked to the Volhynia tragedy, so right-wing and far-right politicians began demanding that the authorities adopt a tougher stance towards Kyiv.

How Poland reacted

Polish President Karol Nawrocki proposed stripping Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle – Poland’s highest state honour.

The Ukrainian president received this award from Andrzej Duda on 5 April 2023.

Former Polish President Lech Wałęsa also reacted to the scandal. He stated that he had removed the Ukrainian flag from his lapel and would no longer support Zelenskyy, but would continue to help the Ukrainian people.

The issue was subsequently taken up by right-wing and far-right Polish politicians, who described Kyiv’s decision as outrageous and began demanding “concrete decisions” from the Polish authorities.

What is important

Bosak’s statement does not represent the official position of the Polish government or a decision by the Sejm.

It represents the position of the Deputy Speaker of the Sejm and leader of the far-right “Confederation” party, who proposes using Ukraine’s EU accession, Starlink funding and financial aid as tools to put pressure on Kyiv.

Meanwhile, Zelenskyy’s decree on the naming of the Special Operations Forces unit has already come into force from the date of publication.

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