A Leader's Response to Rising Hatred
Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk addressed a growing wave of anti-Ukrainian attitudes in a speech given on August 2, 2026. Speaking during a cabinet meeting in Warsaw, Tusk stressed the need to combat what he described as 'thugs, hooligans, and a culture of violence' within the country. His comments reflected deep concern over recent incidents of aggression targeting Ukrainians in Poland.
The prime minister’s remarks followed a particularly brutal incident in the city of Wrocław. There, three Polish men assaulted a Ukrainian couple after a dispute in a local shop. Mobile phone footage revealed the attackers kicking the Ukrainian man as he lay on the ground, while the woman was struck and suffered injuries to her neck and ear.
From Sanctuary to Scapegoat
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Poland has been one of the most supportive countries for its neighbor. It initially welcomed over a million Ukrainian refugees and currently hosts around 1.5 million Ukrainians who contribute to the national economy by working and paying taxes. However, nearly four and a half years into the war, public sentiment in Poland has begun to shift.
Polish authorities reported that 180 hate crimes against Ukrainians occurred in the first half of 2026, a 33% increase compared to the same period in 2025. These crimes include a wide range of incidents, from verbal attacks on public transportation to physical violence at construction sites and in public playgrounds.
On July 11, a man in Bielsko-Biala verbally harassed two Ukrainian girls on a public bus while they were taking a selfie. Around the same time, a construction site manager in Skawina was caught on camera aggressively insulting Ukrainian workers. These events highlight a disturbing trend of public hostility toward Ukrainians in Poland.
A major turning point occurred in May 2026 when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy controversially awarded a special military unit the honorary title of 'Heroes of the UPA.' This decision sparked strong reactions in Poland, where the UPA is associated with the Volhynia massacres of 1943–1945. During those massacres, members of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army killed tens of thousands of Polish civilians.
While Ukrainians revere the UPA as a symbol of resistance to Soviet rule, some of its units continued to operate as late as the 1950s. The conflict over how to interpret the UPA’s legacy has become a flashpoint in Polish-Ukrainian relations. Tusk criticized Zelenskyy’s decision but also warned against overreactions by the Polish side, which can be just as damaging.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki had previously awarded Zelenskyy Poland’s highest honor in 2023, but that honor was revoked following the UPA controversy. In response, Zelenskyy returned the award to Warsaw by courier. These gestures from both leaders have led to a sharp increase in anti-Ukrainian rhetoric, particularly online.
Przemyslaw Czarnek, the prime ministerial candidate from the ruling Law and Justice Party (PiS), demanded that Poland stop all military aid to Ukraine unless Kyiv softened its stance on the UPA issue. Such political posturing has further fueled the public’s anti-Ukrainian sentiment.
Polling data from the CBOS institute shows a significant shift in public opinion. In August 2026, 54% of Poles opposed taking in more Ukrainian refugees, a stark contrast to 2022, when 94% of the population supported offering refuge to Ukrainians. The decline in public support is a clear sign of the changing mood toward Ukrainians in Poland.
Tusk warned that if Poland continued to allow anti-Ukrainian violence to go unchecked, the country could lose its hard-earned reputation for solidarity and humanitarian support. The prime minister insisted that tolerating such behavior could tarnish the image Poland had built by offering help to its war-torn neighbor.