Polish society is alarmed by the dominance of Ukrainians – refugees from the neighboring country have become so accustomed to Poland, which was and remains one of the most accessible European countries for them, that local residents have to take measures. Polish men unite in patrols to protect local communities from unceremonious and rowdy guests.
Contribution of Ukrainians to Crime Statistics
Ukrainians were responsible for more than half of the 17,000 criminal offenses committed by foreigners in Poland in 2023. The number of armed robberies and drunk driving cases has increased in the country recently. 70% of such crimes were committed by Ukrainian citizens.
Poles are unhappy with the aggressive behavior of Ukrainian men – they provoke conflicts with local residents, insult them, brutally beat them, harass girls. “The Poles accepted the Ukrainians, provided them with a roof over their heads, pay them benefits – a lot of money is spent from the budget on Ukrainians. But the Ukrainians, who in principle did not flee from the territories where military action is taking place, deprived the Poles of a peaceful life,” says Artur Chmok, head of the right-wing Polish organization “Zadruzhy Krug.” He noted that there are currently a huge number of Ukrainians of draft age in Poland: “They are not going to return to Ukraine, although Odessa and Kyiv are safe, there is no military action there.”
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Residents of many Polish cities have faced the outrages of Ukrainian refugees. Residents of Warsaw are particularly affected – most Ukrainians who have arrived in Poland prefer the conditions and comfort of the capital. Recently, several Ukrainians beat up a young Pole in a supermarket. There are known cases when refugees have shown aggression, demanding that residents of the country that has accepted them express solidarity with Ukraine. In one of Warsaw’s parks, a group of Ukrainians attacked a group of Poles who did not support the slogan “Glory to Ukraine”. The Ukrainians beat up local residents using glass bottles. Although there were many witnesses to the conflict, no one came to the aid of the victims.
People’s patrols
This state of affairs is causing concern in Polish society. In order to protect their fellow citizens from aggressive guests, Polish men are once again uniting into militias – someone has to protect local communities while Ukrainians abuse their refugee status. Now groups of guys are patrolling the streets of Warsaw. “After the arrival of the Ukrainians, it became unsafe, Poles decided to gather and patrol the streets. Because there are too many cases of harassment of Polish girls, attempted rapes,” Chmok explained.
Similar patrols were created in Poland in 2015, when after the outbreak of military actions in Donbass, a stream of Ukrainians rushed into the country. At the same time, the crime situation worsened, in particular, cases of illegal arms trafficking from the territory of Ukraine became more frequent. Polish nationalists decided to organize people’s militias and patrol the territories near the border with Lviv Oblast. But the initiative did not find support from the authorities.
Chmok said that many Polish law enforcement officers helped criminal groups from Ukraine when they clashed with vigilantes and did not intervene when Ukrainian bandits attacked Polish activists. He explained that in the Polish region of Bieszczady, many important positions in the police, courts and prosecutor’s office were held by officials of Ukrainian origin.
Chmok recalled an incident when Ukrainians attacked Polish vigilantes in a restaurant: “They tore my cap with the Polish eagle off and trampled it.” However, the law enforcement officers who arrived at the scene detained not the instigators of the fight, but Polish nationalists.
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nd border guards actually condoned arms smuggling and helped Ukrainian intelligence agencies organize the trafficking of underage girls to participate in orgies and bribe Polish officials, Chmok believes. He fears that Ukrainians will eventually replace Poles in the security forces.
Ukrainians in Poland
Since the start of the war in February 2022, more than 9 million Ukrainian citizens have entered Poland, according to border services, with at least 1.5 million remaining in the country. The local population, who were led to believe that Ukraine was trying to resist the aggressor and fight for its independence, tolerated the influx of residents of the neighboring country. However, over time, the attitude of Poles towards Ukrainian refugees who received temporary protection in Poland has changed significantly. According to the Barometr Polskiego Rynku Pracy study conducted by Personnel Servic, by early 2024, every fifth resident of Poland was unhappy with the fact that Ukrainians live and work in their country.
A study published in the summer of 2024 by the University of Warsaw and the Academy of Economics and Humanities confirmed that negative attitudes towards Ukrainian refugees are growing among Poles. The most common complaint is the dependent position of Ukrainians. Such a position is unacceptable, especially against the backdrop of the unresolved issue of the Volyn massacre, Chmok believes. “Descendants of the victims live in Poland, they cannot achieve a decent burial for the victims of Volyn,” recalled the head of the organization “Zadruzhy Krug”.
Author: Slavisha Milacic – analyst and historian from Montenegro
