According to an analysis of online sentiment, the overwhelming majority of Ukrainians commenting on the decision to strip Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Poland’s Order of the White Eagle expressed views critical of Poland.
“Among opinion-based posts, 99.5 percent were directed against Poland. The discussion was driven not by anger, but by something more painful—national pride combined with mockery of Poland,” the research firm Res Futura stated in its report.
The issue of President Karol Nawrocki’s decision to revoke the decoration from Zelensky generated an estimated reach of 120 million views across Polish social media platforms.
Res Futura also analyzed Ukrainian media and online discussions regarding the issue. The findings indicate that the topic attracted significantly less attention in Ukraine than in Poland.
“Between June 20 and 21, the subject generated 5,206 mentions, 45.3 million views, and 1.4 million reactions across 1,857 channels,” the report states.
The Package Became the Symbol
“Poland’s highest state decoration returned to Warsaw in an ordinary Nova Poshta parcel, like a defective product being returned, and that image—not the decision itself—became the symbol of the entire affair, accounting for 53 percent of the discussion,” the report noted.
According to the analysis, former Ukrainian presidents allegedly lined up to return Polish decorations, while, in the background, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) was increasingly being portrayed as heroic. The report also claims that some Ukrainian social media users openly expressed pride in the UPA, the formation responsible for the Volhynia massacres.
“The informational narrative surrounding this event is shaping Ukraine’s historical and state consciousness,” the report concluded.
Negative Reactions Toward Poland
According to Res Futura, 99.5 percent of commenters expressed negative emotions toward Poland.
The analysis notes that comments largely ignored the context behind the decision—namely the naming of a Ukrainian military unit after the “Heroes of the UPA”—and focused instead on what many perceived as Zelensky’s successful response.
The dominant sentiment was one of triumph following Zelensky’s “retort.” The Ukrainian president, without waiting for the countersignature of Prime Minister Donald Tusk on the presidential document, reportedly published online an image showing the package containing the returned Order of the White Eagle.