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Budanov returns Polish award after Zelensky stripped

Kyrylo Budanov and Ambassador Vasyl Bodnar reject Polish medals over Zelensky's award revocation.

Sources
6 verified
Location
Poland/Ukraine
Updated
Saturday, 20 June 2026 at 07:47 UTC
No media · text-only dispatch
Synthesis · 6 sources
Ukrainian officials Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence, and Vasyl Bodnar, Ukraine's ambassador to Poland, have refused Polish state awards in solidarity with President Volodymyr Zelensky. This follows Poland's revocation of Zelensky's Order of the White Eagle, sparking a diplomatic rift between the two countries. Budanov declined the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland, and Bodnar similarly rejected his Polish order. The move underscores escalating tensions over Poland's decision, which Kyiv views as a hostile gesture.
Updates · 5
10h agoThe Moscow Times

Additional Ukrainian officials — Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and Ambassador to Poland Vasyl Bodnar — have also returned their Polish state awards. Sybiha stated the decision to strip Zelensky is a strategic mistake benefiting Moscow.

10h agoUkraine Watch

Kirill Budanov, head of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, has now refused Poland's Golden Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit, expanding the list of Ukrainian officials snubbing Polish state honors.

10h ago@NOELreports

New detail added: Kyiv named a military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), which triggered the revocation. Also, Ukrainian officials Sybiha, Budanov, and Bodnar said they would return Polish awards.

9h agoOur News, Today

Andriy Budanov, Zelensky's chief of staff, has now also renounced a Polish medal, following the earlier renunciation by intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov.

9h agoDeutsche Welle

Vasyl Bodnar, Ukrainian Ambassador to Poland, also refused the Polish order, expanding the number of Ukrainian officials rejecting Polish honors after Zelensky's award was revoked.

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