Bartosz Cichocki, Poland’s former ambassador to Ukraine, has returned a Ukrainian state decoration that President Volodymyr Zelensky had awarded him. According to the Kyiv Post, he did so in protest against the Ukrainian leadership’s decision to grant a military unit the title ‘Heroes of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA).’
The move adds to growing criticism from Polish officials over Kyiv’s handling of the historical UPA. The Ukrainian Insurgent Army fought against both German occupation and the Soviet Union during World War II, but in Poland it is also held responsible for massacres of Polish civilians in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia.
The dispute over the UPA has strained bilateral relations for decades. Poland, one of Ukraine’s closest allies in its defense against Russia’s war of aggression, demands that Kyiv clearly distance itself from the controversial UPA traditions. The former ambassador’s return of the award is another sign of friction.
Source: www.kyivpost.com
