---
title: "The 'Order' Crisis, Volhynia, and the 2027 Elections: Ukraine's Ambassador to Poland on What Truly Worries Warsaw"
description: "Ukraine's Ambassador to Poland Vasyl Bodnar, in an interview with RBC-Ukraine, spoke about the consequences of the June order crisis, attacks on Ukrainians, and the transformation of historical disputes into a weapon of the 2027 pre-election campaign."
date: 2026-09-25T04:02:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/ukraines-ambassador-to-poland-bodnar-order-crisis-volhynia-2027-elections
tags: [ukraine-poland-relations, volyn-tragedy, upa, ukrainian-diaspora, poland-elections-2027, diplomacy]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# The 'Order' Crisis, Volhynia, and the 2027 Elections: Ukraine's Ambassador to Poland on What Truly Worries Warsaw

![Ambassador of Ukraine to Poland in front of the Ukrainian flag during an interview on bilateral relations](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/25/posol-ukrainy-v-polshe-bodnar-krizis-volyn-vybory-2027/posol-ukrainy-v-polshe-bodnar-krizis-volyn-vybory-2027-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- The June order crisis between Kyiv and Warsaw became one of the largest in bilateral relations, but its sharpness had decreased by September 2026
- About 2 million Ukrainian citizens live in Poland, which creates chronic social tension and a stream of attacks on Ukrainians on national grounds
- The 2027 parliamentary elections in Poland are turning the theme of Volhynia and the UPA into a key element of pre-election rhetoric
- Ambassador Bodnar emphasizes that Russia remains a common enemy for both countries and this factor in the long term outweighs historical frictions

In the summer of 2026, relations between Kyiv and Warsaw went through one of the sharpest diplomatic crises in the history of the two countries. The trigger was the awarding of the honorary title "in memory of the Heroes of the UPA" to one of the Ukrainian units. In response, Polish President Karol Nawrocki stripped Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the highest state decoration — the Order of the White Eagle. Zelenskyy, in turn, sent the order to Warsaw via "Nova Poshta" (New Post), which triggered a wave of Ukrainian officials renouncing Polish honors. By September, the sharpness of the disputes had eased somewhat; however, as Ukraine's Ambassador to Poland Vasyl Bodnar emphasizes in a wide-ranging interview with RBC-Ukraine, the consequences of the crisis have not gone away, and preparations for the 2027 parliamentary elections are already turning historical disputes into a key element of the pre-election rhetoric.

### The Order Crisis: How a Diplomatic Conflict Reached "Nova Poshta"

According to Ambassador Bodnar, the June episode became "one of the largest crises in bilateral relations." Every emotion, he notes, is like a wave: it has a peak and a trough. By mid-summer, the tension did indeed ease somewhat — even July 11, when Poland marks the day of remembrance of the "victims of the genocide committed by Ukrainian nationalists," passed without incidents. Over the past weeks, several meetings between the Ukrainian and Polish leadership at the highest level have taken place. Nevertheless, Bodnar warns directly: the lessons of the crisis must be drawn, and its social and political consequences are still felt in the everyday interaction of the two societies.

### Volhynia as an Unhealed Wound and the Problem of Exhumations

The central node of bilateral contradictions remains the issue of the Volhynia tragedy of 1943–1944. According to the ambassador, Polish society takes a consolidated position and perceives the UPA and everything connected with its activity extremely negatively. An additional irritant is that, as Bodnar previously reported, Poland has blocked Ukrainian search operations at the burial sites of the victims of the Volhynia tragedy for months. Exhumations and the identification of remains remain one of the most sensitive points in the bilateral dialogue, and it is precisely here, in the diplomat's assessment, that both sides need to seek a compromise, without substituting it with propagandistic narratives.

### Attacks on Ukrainians and Social Tension in Poland

The problem is not limited to "high politics." About two million Ukrainian citizens live in Poland, and over the years of the war this has created significant social tension. Bodnar points to a "constant stream of news about attacks on ordinary Ukrainians in Poland precisely on the basis of nationality." Sharp statements by Polish politicians on historical topics, he says, further agitate public opinion and create the ground for everyday aggression. The ambassador also notes that the theme of the UPA, Bandera, and Volhynia often overlaps with other, predominantly mythologized "grievances": that Ukrainians "take jobs," or that Ukrainian women "steal Polish men." The fight against "Banderaism," in his assessment, often serves as a convenient facade for a broader xenophobic discourse.

### The 2027 Elections: History as a Political Weapon

In a year, in 2027, parliamentary elections will be held in Poland, and the pre-election campaign has, in effect, already begun. The theme of Ukraine, historical disputes, and the events in Volhynia is one of the key ones in this campaign. Bodnar warns that the intensification of the rhetoric of some Polish politicians — attributing non-existent benefits to Ukrainians, inflating the theme of agricultural produce from Ukraine, promoting narratives about the "disadvantage" of helping Ukraine in the war against Russia — is directly linked to the electoral agenda. In this environment, he says, the role of Russian propaganda, which systematically tries to "drive a wedge" between Polish and Ukrainian societies, cannot be ignored.

### Russia as a Common Enemy and the Logic of National Interest

Despite all bilateral problems, Bodnar emphasizes: Poland remains a critically important partner for Ukraine given geography, logistics in both directions, Warsaw's membership in the EU and NATO, as well as the million-strong Ukrainian diaspora. "Before making a particular decision, one must take into account one's own national interest and the sensitivity of a foreign partner," the diplomat formulates the principle by which, in his view, both sides should build their relations. At the same time, he says, in Warsaw they understand how much Poland's own security depends on Ukraine, and consider Russia a common enemy. "Poland has no other enemy but Russia," the ambassador summarizes, pointing out that it is precisely this factor that in the long term may outweigh historical and everyday frictions.

### Contradictory Data

In assessments of the current state of Polish-Ukrainian relations, there are notable discrepancies. On the one hand, Ambassador Bodnar and a number of Polish observers note that "the peak of the crisis has already been passed": the sharpness of the disputes has decreased, meetings at the highest level have taken place, and July 11 passed without incidents. On the other hand, the same diplomat points to a "constant stream" of attacks on Ukrainians, the intensification of xenophobic rhetoric by politicians, and the systematic pressure of Russian propaganda. Thus, the formal diplomatic "cooling down" does not match the real social dynamics on the ground. Moreover, in open sources the degree of influence of the order crisis on the long-term agenda is assessed differently: some analysts consider it a one-off emotional outburst, while others, including the ambassador himself, emphasize that its consequences "have not gone away" and will accompany the 2027 pre-election campaign.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Poland Has No Other Enemy but Russia: Interview with Ukraine's Ambassador Vasyl Bodnar](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/polshchi-nemae-inshogo-voroga-krim-rosiyi-1790259265.html) - Основной источник: полное интервью посла Боднаря, содержащее все ключевые цитаты и факты об орденном кризисе, нападениях, выборах-2027 и роли России.
- [Poland Blocks Ukrainian Search Operations for Victims of the Volhynia Tragedy for Months, Says Ambassador](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/polshcha-misyatsyami-blokue-ukrayinski-poshukovi-1787167287.html) - Основной источник: полное интервью посла Боднаря, содержащее все ключевые цитаты и факты об орденном кризисе, нападениях, выборах-2027 и роли России.
- [The Peak of the Crisis in Relations with Poland Has Already Been Passed, Says Ukraine's Ambassador](https://korrespondent.net/ukraine/4900654-pyk-kryzysa-v-otnoshenyiakh-s-polshei-uzhe-proiden-posol-ukrayny) - Подтверждает оценку посла о том, что пик кризиса пройден, но последствия сохраняются.
- [The Volhynia Tragedy: What the Exhumation of Victims Will Change for Ukraine and Poland](https://korrespondent.net/articles/4806061-volynskaia-trahedyia-chto-yzmenyt-dlia-ukrayny-y-polshy-ekshumatsyia-zhertv) - Подтверждает оценку посла о том, что пик кризиса пройден, но последствия сохраняются.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: What caused the June crisis between Ukraine and Poland?
**A:** The crisis began after one of the Ukrainian units was awarded the honorary title "in memory of the Heroes of the UPA." In response, Polish President Karol Nawrocki stripped Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle, and Zelenskyy sent the order to Warsaw via "Nova Poshta."

### Q: How many Ukrainian citizens live in Poland and what problems does this create?
**A:** About two million Ukrainian citizens are in Poland. According to Ambassador Bodnar, this has created significant social tension: there is a constant stream of attacks on Ukrainians on national grounds, as well as an intensification of xenophobic rhetoric by some politicians.

### Q: What role do the 2027 elections play in Polish-Ukrainian relations?
**A:** The 2027 parliamentary elections in Poland have effectively already launched the pre-election campaign, in which the theme of Ukraine, the Volhynia tragedy, and the UPA is one of the key ones. Ambassador Bodnar warns that historical disputes are being used as a political weapon.

### Q: Does Ambassador Bodnar consider Russia a common enemy of Ukraine and Poland?
**A:** Yes. Bodnar states directly that in Warsaw they understand the dependence of their own security on Ukraine and consider Russia a common enemy. In his words, "Poland has no other enemy but Russia," and this factor in the long term may outweigh historical and everyday frictions between the two countries.