Polish Ambassador Returns Zelenskyy's Order Over Reference to the UPA
Bartosz Cichocki, the former Polish ambassador to Ukraine, has returned the Order of Merit, which was awarded to him by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in 2022. The diplomat explained his decision by citing his disagreement with the establishment in Ukraine of a military unit whose name includes a reference to the “Heroes of the UPA.” According to Cichocki, this was the reason for returning the state award. This move sparked discussion in the Polish-Ukrainian media space against the backdrop of sensitive historical issues between the two countries.
This was reported by RMF FM.
This decision is a reaction to President Zelenskyy naming one of the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine “Heroes of the UPA.”
Bartosz Cichocki, who served as Poland’s ambassador to Ukraine from 2019 to 2023, was twice honored by the Ukrainian government. In June 2022, he received the Order of Merit, 2nd Class, from President Zelenskyy, and in December of that year, he was awarded the Cross of Merit by the then-Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Valery Zaluzhny.
In a statement sent to the media, Cichocki announced that in light of the Ukrainian president’s decisions, which “honor the UPA and collaborators with the German Nazis,” he had returned the award that had been bestowed upon him. At the same time, he emphasized that every Ukrainian fighting against the Russian invader, historical lies, and corruption can count on his support.
In Poland, there was outrage over the name of an SSO unit honoring the Heroes of the UPA — RMF 24.
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