President Karol Nawrocki’s decision to strip Volodymyr Zelensky of the Order of the White Eagle continues to spark heated debate. While politicians from the ruling coalition criticize the head of state’s move, former defense minister Mariusz Błaszczak argues that Poland has sent Ukraine a “clear signal” regarding historical truth. He also called on the government to urgently adopt a draft law on the criminalization of Bandera ideology, which – as he emphasized – has been sitting in the parliamentary “freezer” for nearly a year and a half.
Last week, President Karol Nawrocki decided to revoke the highest Polish state decoration previously awarded to the President of Ukraine. This was a response to Volodymyr Zelensky naming one of Ukraine’s military units after the “Heroes of the UPA.” The Ukrainian side reacted with outrage – Zelensky returned the order via courier service, and in its wake, Ukrainian officials, including Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and former Ukrainian presidents, also renounced Polish state decorations.
The president’s decision was not well received by politicians of the ruling coalition, who unanimously criticize the Polish head of state’s move. Some members of the ruling camp even shared on the X platform a post by Dmitry Medvedev, a collaborator of Putin.
Błaszczak: “This is a clear signal”
The issue remains one of the main topics of public debate. Today, former defense minister Mariusz Błaszczak also commented online, recalling a Law and Justice (PiS) bill on the criminalization of Bandera ideology. It has reportedly been stuck in the parliamentary “freezer” for nearly 1.5 years.
President Karol Nawrocki made an important decision to revoke Volodymyr Zelensky’s Order of the White Eagle. This is a clear signal that Poland is capable of conducting policy based on mutual respect and historical truth. Supporting Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression does not mean agreeing to silence difficult chapters of history or accepting the ungrateful and brazen decisions of President Zelensky, he stated in a video commentary published by Błaszczak.
As he emphasized – “today it is the duty of the ruling coalition to immediately adopt the Law and Justice (PiS) proposal concerning the criminalization of Bandera ideology.”
“Propagating the ideology responsible for the genocide of Poles cannot be tolerated. Our bill has been frozen by Tusk and Czarzasty for a year and a half. Clear provisions in the penal code and real penalties for spreading this ideology are needed. The memory of the victims of crimes committed by Ukrainian nationalists in Volhynia requires concrete and immediate action from the Polish state,” the Law and Justice (PiS) politician added.