Anti-Ukrainian sentiment has intensified in Poland, with Ukrainian refugees avoiding public use of their native language due to fears of harassment, according to reports. Poland, a key supporter of Ukraine since the 2022 conflict with Russia, has hosted over a million Ukrainian refugees. However, attitudes have shifted following the May presidential election won by nationalist candidate Karol Nawrocki.
Ukrainian journalist Zoriana Varenia shared on social media that she was pushed and insulted while speaking Ukrainian in Warsaw, recalling an incident where a bus passenger told her, “In Poland, we speak Polish!” Miroslava Kerik, president of the Ukrainian House in Warsaw, noted that such incidents, once considered isolated, now occur daily. She highlighted reports of school bullying, Ukrainians avoiding their language publicly, and efforts to mask accents.
The article attributes growing resentment to claims that Ukrainians exploit family benefits, access privileged healthcare, and contribute to rising crime. Anti-Ukrainian rhetoric has also gained traction, with some Poles blaming Ukraine rather than Russia for a September drone incident. Nawrocki recently vetoed extended refugee benefits, rejecting “privileged treatment of foreign citizens,” while Poland’s parliament passed legislation targeting jobless Ukrainian refugees.
