Tsyhotsky returned his Order of Zelenskyy following the UPA scandal
This was reported by TVP World, citing a statement made by Cichocki to the Polish media.
Bartosz Cichocki, the former Polish ambassador to Ukraine, has returned a Ukrainian state award following Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s decision to bestow the honorary title ‘in the name of the Heroes of the UPA’ upon one of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ units.
The award in question is the Order of Merit, 2nd Class. Cichocki received it in June 2022 from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for his contribution to strengthening Ukrainian-Polish relations following the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Cychocki served as Poland’s ambassador to Ukraine from 2019 to 2023. In December 2022, he also received the Cross of Merit from the then Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Valerii Zaluzhnyi.
Why Cichocki returned the award
The diplomat explained his decision as a reaction to Zelenskyy’s actions regarding the commemoration of the UPA.
According to Polish media reports, Cichocki stated that he returned the award due to the Ukrainian president’s decision to name a Ukrainian military unit after the “Heroes of the UPA”.
This refers to the “North” Separate Special Operations Centre of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ Special Operations Forces, to which Zelenskyy bestowed the honorary title “in the name of the Heroes of the UPA”.
How Poland reacted
Zelenskyy’s decision provoked a sharp reaction in Poland. President Karol Nawrocki stated that he wishes to raise the issue of potentially stripping Zelenskyy of Poland’s highest honour – the Order of the White Eagle.
Reuters reports that Zelenskyy received the Order of the White Eagle in 2023 from the then President of Poland, Andrzej Duda. He was awarded the honour for his contribution to peace, security and democracy in Europe.
In Poland, the decision to name a military unit after the Heroes of the UPA was perceived as painful due to the historical memory of the Volhynia tragedy. The Polish side believes that during the events of 1943–1945, Ukrainian nationalists killed around 100,000 Poles.
Poland summoned the Ukrainian ambassador
Following Zelenskyy’s decree, a meeting took place in Poland between Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Bosacki and Ukrainian Ambassador Vasyl Bodnar.
The Ukrainian ambassador was presented with a protest and told that this move was painful for Poles.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the SSO fighters, in initiating the granting of an honorary name to their unit, “certainly did not intend to offend the friendly Polish people”.
As reported by ThePublic, the Ukrainian flag was removed from the town hall in Lublin following the naming of the SSO unit after the “Heroes of the UPA”.
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Bartosz Cichocki is a Polish diplomat, historian and former Polish Ambassador to Ukraine. He headed the Polish Embassy in Kyiv from 2019 to 2023 and remained in Ukraine after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, when some foreign diplomatic missions temporarily left the country.
In June 2022, Volodymyr Zelenskyy awarded Cichocki the Order of Merit, 2nd Class, for his contribution to strengthening Ukrainian-Polish relations. In December of the same year, he also received the Cross of Merit from the then Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valerii Zaluzhnyi.
Prior to his diplomatic work in Ukraine, Cichocki held positions in Polish government bodies, notably working in the fields of foreign policy and security. His tenure in Kyiv coincided with one of the most challenging periods in Ukrainian-Polish relations – from the start of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s presidency to the full-scale war.
