European Parliament regrets Zelenskyy's decision on UPA-named military unit
A retrospective on the resolution adopted in Strasbourg's chamber on 8 July 2026, and the Poland–Ukraine dispute behind it.
What did the European Parliament say about a Ukrainian military honour that had strained relations with Warsaw? Looking back at 9 July 2026, the day after the chamber acted, the resolution it passed on 8 July was the latest step in a dispute between Poland and Ukraine.
On 8 July 2026, the European Parliament passed a resolution expressing regret over the decision of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy to name a military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA). The text cited the UPA's responsibility for the massacres of Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia.
How the dispute began
The row dated from May 2026, when Zelenskyy awarded the Ukrainian Special Operations Center North the honorary title "Heroes of the UPA". The award was made at the unit's own request. The decision caused outrage in Poland and led to a major crisis in bilateral relations.
The UPA carried out the massacres in German-occupied Poland between 1943 and 1945, with the support of parts of the local Ukrainian population. They targeted the Polish minority in Volhynia, Eastern Galicia, parts of Polesia and the Lublin region. The UPA's actions resulted in up to 100,000 Polish deaths.
What the resolution signalled
The vote brought the dispute into the institutions of the European Union, in the context of relations between Ukraine and the EU. The resolution expressed regret over the naming decision and referred to the historical responsibility for the massacres.
