Ukraine-Poland row: Portnikov calls dispute over military unit "surreal"
The ongoing dispute between Ukraine and Poland over naming a Ukrainian Armed Forces unit after UPA (Ukrainian Insurgent Army) heroes has escalated beyond a standard diplomatic row.
Portnikov comments on Ukraine-Poland row / © Espreso
Journalist Vitaly Portnikov has explained why the situation surrounding the Order of the White Eagle and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has taken a "surreal" turn.
Writing on Facebook, Portnikov commented on the tensions between Kyiv and Warsaw over the military unit’s naming and Warsaw's blackmailing of Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He noted that the sudden sharpening of Ukrainian-Polish relations had struck him as surreal.
Portnikov on Ukraine-Poland row over UPA-named unit
According to Portnikov, the unexpected escalation over naming the Ukrainian military unit after UPA heroes has transcended conventional politics. The journalist expressed surprise that the Order of the White Eagle has become central to the controversy.
"Unlike many who are currently arguing with the Poles, I see nothing extraordinary in Warsaw's official reaction. In my view, any country's foreign ministry has every right to politically assess the actions of a partner state regarding its interpretation of historical memory," Portnikov wrote.
He added that while Ukraine should take note of these concerns, it is under no obligation to act on them. Portnikov viewed Poland’s behavior as a "routine political signal" that essentially says, "We view the past differently than you do”.
"Furthermore, I would like to see the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs respond in kind whenever any country names landmarks or military units after individuals or groups that may have been involved in the killing of Ukrainians, anti-Ukrainian propaganda, and the like”.
However, he noted, every nation must realize that others may hold fundamentally different perspectives on historical memory and the value of specific historical figures or factions.
The surrealism, the journalist argues, stems from the actions of Poland’s current President, Karol Nawrocki, who is demanding that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy be stripped of the Order of the White Eagle. Portnikov points out that this is not a personal award for an individual.
Former Polish President Andrzej Duda awarded the order to the Ukrainian people through the person of the president. Revoking it would damage Poland's own prestige and the integrity of the award, rather than hurting Zelenskyy.
The core issue here is not the Volyn tragedy or the UPA—which are subjects for separate debate—but a historical affliction within Polish politics: megalomania and an inability to stop in time and realistically assess one’s own significance, Portnikov wrote.
What unites Ukraine and Poland is not a medal, but the shared awareness of the threat posed by Russia. The historical experience of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth proves that a lack of this awareness ultimately leads to falling under Moscow’s rule.
"It is high time to unite. We will still have the opportunity to debate the complex history of the Polish and Ukrainian peoples—provided that Poland and Ukraine remain on the political map of the future world. But even then, we must state a simple truth to one another: Ukrainians will not dictate the historical memory of Poles, and Poles will not dictate the historical memory of Ukrainians”.
The journalist concluded by noting that some Polish politicians fail to understand a crucial reality: if Ukraine loses, Poland will not survive, and no amount of US support will save it.