# Top Ukrainian officials return Polish awards in WWII dispute

> **Open Intelligence Dossier** · First detected: 2026-06-20 16:07 UTC · Category: World

## Executive Summary
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has returned the Order of the White Eagle to Poland amid a diplomatic dispute over a nationalist wartime unit.

## Intelligence Brief
President Zelenskyy returned the Order of the White Eagle, Poland's highest honor, to Polish President Andrzej Duda. This action follows reports that the Ukrainian president was stripped of the decoration. The return of the award was conducted via post.


Coverage from DW.com, CNN, Yahoo, the BBC, ABC News, and Ukrainska pravda emphasizes that the disagreement stems from a row regarding a nationalist unit involved in World War II. The outlets report that Ukrainian officials have publicly criticized the decision to strip the honor. Future developments depend on official responses from the Polish government regarding the returned medal.


Coverage does not yet specify the intended resolution of the dispute or the status of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

## Multi-Source Evidence Table
| Source Outlet | Headline | Verification URL |
|---|---|---|
| DW.com | Zelenskyy returns Poland's highest honor as row deepens | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMikAFBVV95cUxNeDllNUNzQVkxdzFsWWw2alFCZjdPd3hJa2o2VDFkajlySVdpcHJ2SWpYTFlHdlFrOFhCNG5OUTg1OXpIOTd0OExYQldnekdpUHA4OUJ4V0NuTFZUeFAwdFVVX1J4NGdDanByTFJKZklpdzhkaThDRXVLN3lWQXQteURXanRBRVZvaVZPNEwzYzHSAZABQVVfeXFMUFJMbWlaQTlsTThTbTNSaVAySDFiX29nMGZnMVl0RFQ0TzhpNjBMd3BsUG0yRDlkOFNhLXVqR3p1RGVQWmEtZENrRWRVZEJmc09ZeFdSbjI1T2RFdlRLQTNpaTMxUFYyTUdiVnNuT2xNWTN4Vl9rQXUwV1ZtRGdzb2JyRWk3cEJGWTI1LTFSVkxH?oc=5) |
| CNN | Zelensky returns Poland’s highest honor amid escalating row over nationalist wartime unit | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMihAFBVV95cUxOMDlYOG1YZDB3Vm9YX3d0SWlnMXlvVUN3ZzgwbXpza0RDTUJYT2pHZTktY1J1bjdTVFZ2bHpxczBYdVdZVG93Z1VaVVBJR0pocGJKOHZQZkxFVkNOM09CX3doWTVzOXRTcjhmYzRTM05HT3JKdmI1aFdzOVRzRGNDZHgzVVA?oc=5) |
| Yahoo | Ukraine's Zelenskiy says he returned state decoration to Polish president | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMikwFBVV95cUxQQ2lUYnNOQURTa0EyaGdtSndseVp1Z095UDZBTU15NVFXTG9zWGlidHotV3JyRTdWYnFZM3BjWXBJWXFYUEVVLXI5M3JQaF9FMHBNME56TWtod3lRdGo0QVYzSHJCalluRFVNVmF5Ymh6eWJxekZBWWRXa1UwR2c3S2g4OUFCRjJ4ZEhXM0NwSkxGT2c?oc=5) |
| BBC | Zelensky returns highest Polish honour after award stripped | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiWkFVX3lxTE5XRGs3YVVMUkJKbUl1bjB6WDQyMzdFdXZJYnpfX1MyZ1JlTVhJRmVYaVZOcUpzMjZCeE5LRFMtY1dpZkJkLU5NM2tzZWdWeFJ0XzhWLW1Yd3d6UQ?oc=5) |
| ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos | Ukrainian officials criticize Polish president's decision to strip Zelenskyy of honor | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMixAFBVV95cUxORGJlZ0pQX0owdHJrZF83Y0FrTjcyVXRPRlZ1TnB6blR2TGNCY1ppOGE5LWZwYzZ5QmpCMUlHc1RpazY0bFNJdG5lUGlTVzBzQm15QllacC00TzBwVS1UQVNLdDlVZUpTZnk1dUItblFaemV3N2plcmRubkdfa3ZGWG16djliNjM5RDZOSTA1TmRkY3NVMlZQNG1RRGJxWjNsR0dWYkdVQ09GSUFWb0VWclJEaU94VTBQbkI2Q09SMGcyS2FT0gHKAUFVX3lxTE5IT0hkQ3dLSF9XaHFqSWxBNUFOZWVEd1NWQnVXekRYQzktenRNc0tZbE40Y1QxSVJxYlVGYWVlN1pDVE5YQmM3dG9Lek9WeVpodnVtODZzakgwc2QzMndIVThURjI2cXpDZG44SVJ5dm9yU29ZSmRVcDFmNGY2aDZzc0haM3NVMFdna2pCY0F) |
| Українська правда | Zelenskyy sends Order of White Eagle back to Polish president by post – photos | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiZEFVX3lxTE1RS0dfZzA0VnFzTGpSQlBNZVZMYVRIQmF5ckdPUEc1MDF5dnVoREFyQWlnUDZCd2xtaTBJUzd5ZUZMZ01jRjZLbmQwTzhFTTVSTkI3c2w1ZlpMVkhwY29oN1dYRUHSAXBBVV95cUxOWFJwd0lvSTlzT2QzZTlUbWtrQ3F4S0xTbVBVQzNyM0JaVFVPQXI3em1zWF94M28tUFIycUtKWEw1RTB2MXRZX0JUMjNrMEEtRWNmYklfZ1hYZ2J5bG5FYUM2YmNfSWMyNHZJbFZ1QmxS?oc=5) |

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*Canonical Source: https://pulse.byoviral.com/trend/2026-06-20/top-ukrainian-officials-return-polish-awards-in-wwii-dispute*