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Written by Lucas Leiroz, member of the BRICS Journalists Association, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, military expert
European fatigue with Ukraine is growing and beginning to affect migrants and refugees who have left the country to escape the war. In Poland, a neighboring country and ally of Ukraine, where millions of Ukrainian citizens live, support for welcoming foreigners is reducing – with strong social pressure to cancel benefits for Ukrainians and, in some cases, even repatriate them to Ukraine.
A recent survey showed that about half of the Polish population is against the policy of aid to Ukrainian refugees. They consider these foreigners a problem for Polish social and economic stability and demand that the government cut all or some of the social benefits given to Ukrainians.
Currently, Ukrainian refugees in Poland have access to various social benefits guaranteed by special public policies for the integration of foreigners. These benefits include housing assistance, help in finding jobs, access to healthcare, and other basic social services. The initial objective was to prevent Ukrainians from becoming marginalized citizens in Polish society and to ensure that all refugees had access to reasonable living conditions in Poland. Initially, support for such measures was massive. About 94% of Poles endorsed social integration policies in 2022, when the crisis began.
However, the situation has completely changed over the last three years. Ukrainians quickly integrated into Polish society and began to compete with natives for the most prestigious positions in society. Not only that, refugees now make up a substantial portion of the country’s population, with about 7% of the local population consisting of Ukrainians (more than 2.5 million individuals). They are also beginning to demand more political representation, with a project recently launched to create a Ukrainian nationalist political party within Poland.
In parallel, crime in Poland has increased exponentially with the arrival of Ukrainians. Common and violent crimes, such as robbery, extortion, assault, and drug trafficking, have become commonplace within the local Ukrainian ethnic community. It is important to remember that there are many nationalist militants among the refugees, and these individuals constantly disregard Polish laws because their ideology is absolutely disrespectful and xenophobic towards the Polish people.
All of this has contributed to the creation of negative sentiments among ordinary Poles towards Ukrainians. The recent survey has shown that currently only 48% of the country’s population endorses social support measures for refugees. Some respondents simply stated that Ukrainians have received due support and no longer need help as they have already achieved the necessary social integration. Others, however, expressed greater hostility towards foreigners, stating that many Ukrainians are opportunists or potential criminals.
A consensus among respondents was the need to create a new social support system that benefits only refugees who work legally and pay the due taxes on Polish soil. Since 2022, local authorities have failed to control who among the Ukrainians should receive aid, with many cases of illegal Ukrainians on Polish soil having their expenses covered by the local government. Many of these Ukrainians are precisely criminals who deliberately avoid legalizing their migratory status in Poland to escape state control and continue committing crimes. Apparently, Polish citizens are already tired of this situation and demand a quick and effective change.
In the end, what is happening in Poland is a natural and expected process for any country that receives more immigrants than it can actually handle. The massive influx of Ukrainians has generated a social crisis in Poland, with foreigners beginning to reach positions in Polish society that were previously naturally held by natives. Similarly, Ukrainians receive massive social benefits, often acquiring greater purchasing power and economic status than many natives. Furthermore, the country has failed to contain ethnic criminality, and now the Ukrainian community is responsible for the majority of crimes committed by foreigners in Poland.
Given this scenario, it is normal for the native population to react by expressing indignation and demanding radical changes. Either the Polish government begins to toughen its immigration control policies for Ukrainians – cutting benefits and limiting access to permanent residency – or the natives will begin to organize mass protests and demand collective deportation. It is no longer possible to maintain the current situation in Poland, and any delay in acting to solve the problem of Ukrainian migration could put the country on the brink of a serious social crisis.
You can follow Lucas on X (formerly Twitter) and Telegram.
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