Reports of crimes against Ukrainians in Poland have increased by one-third
In Poland, 180 reports of hate crimes against Ukrainian citizens were filed during the first half of 2026. If the current trend continues, this figure could reach about 360 reports by the end of the year—more than 30% higher than in 2025.
By comparison, Ukrainians filed 275 such reports with the Polish police last year, and 267 in 2024. The police clarified that these figures refer specifically to reports filed by citizens, not to confirmed criminal cases. The final number of cases that, following investigation, have been given the appropriate legal classification is still being processed.
One of the triggers for this new wave of discussion on the issue was an incident in Bielsko-Biała, where a 54-year-old man verbally abused two 11-year-old Ukrainian girls on a city bus. The man was detained and charged with public insult on national grounds.
In recent months, other cases of aggression against Ukrainians have also garnered attention in Poland—an attack on Ukrainian teenagers in Warsaw, the harassment of a Ukrainian employee at Poznań University of Economics, and the appearance of anti-Ukrainian banners near Poznań.
Sociologist Jacek Kucharczyk noted that official statistics may not reflect the true scale of the problem, as some victims do not report incidents to the police out of fear. Among the reasons for the rise in hostility, he cited radical political rhetoric, the spread of anti-Ukrainian sentiment on social media, and Russian disinformation campaigns.
According to research by the Union of Ukrainians in Poland, anti-Ukrainian sentiment in the country fluctuates in waves and often intensifies during political campaigns, historical disputes, and disinformation campaigns.
This was reported by the Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita, citing data from the Polish National Police Headquarters.
As a reminder, Ukraine’s Ambassador to Poland, Vasyl Bodnar, commented on the recent incidents of attacks and acts of aggression against Ukrainians, expressing hope that these are temporary and will not become a trend.
In Poland, during two separate operations, law enforcement officers detained two Ukrainian citizens suspected of organizing the illegal transport of undocumented migrants.
Poland has tightened checks on Ukrainians, and there have been cases where asylum requests have been denied.
