Ukraine gets no invite to record Polish parade amid escalating dispute over honors

Ukraine was notably absent from Poland’s prestigious Armed Forces Day military parade held in Warsaw on August 15, according to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry. The grand parade, described by RMF24 as potentially the largest of its kind in Polish history, was expected to feature 1,800 service members, over 300 ground vehicles and 60 aircraft, alongside military representatives from the United States, Canada, Australia, Lithuania, Estonia, Sweden, Romania and other nations.

France was projected to have the biggest contingent, including the renowned French Foreign Legion unit. Simultaneously in Gdynia and Gdansk, a naval parade would showcase more than 20 vessels, consisting of frigates, corvettes, hydrographic survey ships and minesweepers.

Tensions escalated on June 19 when Polish President Karol Nawrocki revoked Ukraine’s highest state honor, the Order of the White Eagle, from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Nawrocki contended that naming a Ukrainian military unit after the 'Heroes of the UPA' transcended Ukraine’s domestic affairs. Several Ukrainian officials, including Zelenskyy’s chief of staff Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine’s former president Leonid Kuchma, Viktor Yushchenko (2005–2010), and Petro Poroshenko (2014–2019), subsequently renounced their Polish decorations on June 20.

Zelenskyy, however, claimed to have forwarded the Order of the White Eagle to Nawrocki, posting photographs on social media. The Ukrainian delegation, headed by then-Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, opted not to attend the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdansk.

On July 3, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha engaged in discussions with his Polish counterpart, Radosław Sikorski, proposing a series of crisis-response measures, including a meeting of historians and experts to address historical issues related to World War II. During events commemorating the Volyn tragedy on July 11, Nawrocki urged the Polish parliament to enact nationwide legislation banning the red-and-black flag, historically associated with the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) and its armed wing, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA).

A recent IBRiS poll revealed that Polish attitudes towards Ukrainians had significantly shifted following these developments – with a third of respondents reporting a less favorable view, compared to just 1.8% who believed their opinion had improved.