In a move that has sent shockwaves through diplomatic circles, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been stripped of a Polish honour following a controversy over a historical WWII unit. The decision, announced in Warsaw, has prompted the United Kingdom to issue a call for restraint, urging both nations to de-escalate the rapidly intensifying row.
The honour, a prestigious medal recognising service to Polish-Ukrainian relations, was revoked due to Zelensky’s perceived association with the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), a WWII-era unit accused of ethnic cleansing against Poles in Volhynia and Galicia. Polish officials, citing recent commemorations of the UPA by Ukrainian authorities, argued that the award was no longer tenable. “This is not about the present, but about truth and memory,” a Polish government spokesperson stated.
Zelensky, who has consistently tried to steer Ukraine towards European integration, finds himself entangled in a centuries-old animosity. The UPA’s actions remain a raw nerve in Poland, where millions perished during the war. For Ukraine, the UPA is a complex symbol of resistance against Soviet and Nazi occupation. This clash of historical narratives has now exploded into a full-blown diplomatic crisis.
The UK’s intervention is notable. In a carefully worded statement, the Foreign Office expressed “deep concern” over the revocation and called for “measured dialogue”. A Downing Street source hinted at the broader context: “The West cannot afford a fracture between Kyiv and Warsaw right now. Russia is watching.” Indeed, the rouble rose slightly on the news, a potential sign of Kremlin glee at discord among NATO allies.
This incident threatens to undermine the solidarity that has defined the Polish-Ukrainian relationship since Russia’s full-scale invasion. Poland has been Ukraine’s staunchest ally, a logistical hub for Western aid and a home to millions of refugees. Yet historical wounds have festered beneath the surface. Last year, a similar dispute erupted over a ban on Ukrainian grain imports, but this cuts deeper, touching on identity and honour.
For Zelensky, the timing could not be worse. His country is locked in a gruelling counteroffensive, dependent on sustained Western support. A diplomatic rift with Poland risks distracting from the fight against Russia and emboldening hardliners in both nations. Ukrainian officials have tried to downplay the row, but the symbolism is hard to ignore. “We respect Polish memory, but we cannot be held hostage to the past,” a senior aide to Zelensky told reporters.
The UK’s call for calm may be heeded, but the underlying tensions will remain. Technology, my obsession, offers little solace here. This is not a problem solvable by algorithms or quantum computing. It is a raw, human conflict about how we remember the dead and who gets to define heroism. In the age of AI, we can process data but not trauma. The past, as William Faulkner wrote, is never dead. It’s not even past.
As the digital diplomat might say, we need a patch for this in the code of human relations. But history is a legacy system. It resists upgrades. For now, the West must hold the line, ensuring that this dispute doesn’t become a bug that crashes the entire system of Ukrainian defence.
