Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA)
Українська повстанська армія (УПА) · also UPA, УПА
Armed force founded in the Second World War by the Bandera faction of the Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists; Ukraine sees it as part of the struggle for independence, Poland holds it responsible for the Volhynia massacres.
The UPA was established by the radical Bandera faction of the Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN-B) and fought during and after the Second World War for an independent Ukrainian state. English Wikipedia records that between 1943 and 1945 the UPA massacred the Polish minority in Volhynia, Eastern Galicia and neighbouring areas, killing up to 100,000 people, most of them women and children.
In late May 2026 Zelensky gave a military unit the honorary title "Heroes of the UPA"; on June 19 Polish President Karol Nawrocki revoked Zelensky's Order of the White Eagle in response, and the historical dispute spilled over into Ukraine's EU accession. Notes from Poland observed that Ukraine mainly remembers the UPA's fight against Soviet rule, while Poland associates it with the Volhynia massacres.
Sources
- Massacres of Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia (Wikipedia (English), accessed 2026-10-26)
- Fact-check: did Polish deputy PM say Warsaw would block Ukraine’s EU entry? (Notes from Poland, accessed 2026-10-26)
- Poland Strips Zelensky of Highest Honor Over UPA Dispute, Ukraine Responds (Kyiv Post, accessed 2026-10-26)
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Last updated 2026-10-26 · Suggest a correction