Zelenskyy honors 1940s UPA guerrilla,
Photo: Efrem Lukatsky/AP/TT

Zelenskyy honors 1940s UPA guerrilla, Poland is furious

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has named a military unit after the controversial nationalist guerrilla group the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), accused of the mass murder of Poles during World War II. The move has prompted loud protests in Warsaw.

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Polish President Karol Nawrocki tells the media he is outraged and threatens to withdraw the country's highest award, the Order of the White Eagle, which was previously awarded to Zelenskyy.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk also protests, calling the decision "hurtful."

According to Polish estimates, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) killed around 100,000 Polish civilians in what is now western Ukraine during World War II, which Poland sees as genocide.

The group, with links to Nazi Germany, is, however, praised by Ukrainian nationalists for its role in the fight for an independent Ukrainian state in battles with the Soviet Union.

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AuthorTT News AgencyEnglish edition by Sweden Herald, adapted for our readers
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