Curious to see how Nawrocki plans to go collect the Order from Ukrainian soldiers - Sadovy

Lviv Mayor Andrii Sadovyi states that the initiative of Polish President Karol Nawrocki to strip President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle will remain in memory despite the great assistance of the Polish people.

"President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, while receiving Poland’s highest state award – the Order of the White Eagle – from the hands of President Andrzej Duda in 2023, stated that he accepts it on behalf of the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian military. Duda’s successor Karol Nawrocki today came forward with an initiative to strip Zelenskyy of this award. The reason was that one unit was named ‘Heroes of the UPA.’ It will be interesting to see how Mr. Nawrocki goes to take this award from the Ukrainian military. Currently, as far as is known, he has not dared to cross the Ukrainian border. War reveals everyone: both those who are directly in it and those who observe from the side," Sadovy wrote on Facebook.

He emphasized that Ukraine will always remember the incredible impulse of the Polish people, who sincerely and devotedly helped and continue to help Ukrainians from the first days of the full-scale war.

According to him, white and red flags of fallen Polish volunteers fly alongside Ukrainian flags at the military Memorial in Lviv, and partner cities in Poland did everything possible to support Lviv in the most difficult moments.

"What Nawrocki initiated today, unfortunately, will also remain in memory. Unless there is enough wisdom to stop clinging to the names of Ukrainian military units and focus on supporting the army that holds the largest front in Europe since World War II and, with its own blood, wins time for the entire civilized world to prepare for the difficult challenges of the future," Sadovy wrote.

As reported, in Poland, the decision of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy to name an elite unit of the Special Operations Forces after the heroes of the UPA was received negatively; in particular, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland stated that Warsaw assesses this "unequivocally and negatively" and reported that they would raise this issue during negotiations.

Polish President Karol Nawrocki stated that the President of Ukraine, by naming a Ukrainian unit after the Heroes of the UPA, "provided Russian propaganda with the best material." Nawrocki also stated that he proposed stripping President Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle.

Former head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance (UINR), Member of Parliament Volodymyr Viatrovych (European Solidarity faction), states that the decision of the President of Ukraine to name an elite unit of the Special Operations Forces after the heroes of the UPA in no way concerns Poland.