{"id":1436300,"date":"2026-09-07T10:17:45","date_gmt":"2026-09-07T07:17:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/anti-ukrainian-sentiment-and-incidents-of-hostility-are-increasing-in-poland-what-is-the-point-of-politicians-rhetoric\/"},"modified":"2026-09-07T10:17:45","modified_gmt":"2026-09-07T07:17:45","slug":"anti-ukrainian-sentiment-and-incidents-of-hostility-are-increasing-in-poland-what-is-the-point-of-politicians-rhetoric","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/anti-ukrainian-sentiment-and-incidents-of-hostility-are-increasing-in-poland-what-is-the-point-of-politicians-rhetoric\/","title":{"rendered":"Anti-Ukrainian sentiment and incidents of hostility are increasing in Poland: what is the point of politicians’ rhetoric?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Anti-Ukrainian sentiment is growing in Poland, and aggressive rhetoric by politicians is increasingly accompanied by incidents of hostility and attacks on Ukrainians. On the eve of parliamentary elections in the fall of 2027, the Ukrainian issue is becoming increasingly prominent in Polish politics.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is reported by Politico<\/a> .<\/p>\n

As journalists note, nationalist and far-right forces are using the topic of Ukrainian refugees, social benefits, and difficult pages of common history to strengthen their own positions.<\/p>\n

Over the past year, Polish politicians have increasingly criticized support for Ukraine. Representatives of the Confederation oppose social benefits for Ukrainians, while Law and Justice calls for a review of military aid to Kyiv due to disputes over historical policies.<\/p>\n

A separate source of tension remains the events of World War II. In particular, this summer, Polish President Karol Nawrocki stripped Volodymyr Zelensky of the country’s highest state award, the Order of the White Eagle. This happened after the Ukrainian side decided to name a military unit in honor of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army.<\/p>\n

Rafal Pankowski, a sociologist and co-founder of the Polish anti-racist organization Never Again, noted that while overall support for Ukraine among Poles remains high, attitudes toward Ukrainians are deteriorating. He believes that populist anti-Ukrainian rhetoric is creating a breeding ground for attacks, turning the large Ukrainian community into a target. He says that Russian propaganda is also taking advantage of this.<\/p>\n

Ukrainian Ambassador to Poland Vasyl Bodnar stated that some Polish politicians are using the Ukrainian issue for their own political gain.<\/p>\n

At the same time, sociological research indicates a deterioration in the attitude of Poles towards Ukrainians. According to CBOS, the share of those who have a positive attitude towards Ukrainians decreased from 51% in 2023 to 29% in January 2026. At the same time, the share of negative attitudes increased to 43%.<\/p>\n

Among the reasons for the deterioration of attitudes, 45.4% of respondents cited disputes surrounding historical events and mass killings during the war. Another 36.4% linked negative sentiment to social benefits for Ukrainians.<\/p>\n

Against this backdrop, Ukrainians living in Poland are increasingly speaking of feelings of insecurity and alienation. One of the reasons they cite is the intensification of anti-Ukrainian rhetoric in the Polish political space.<\/p>\n

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