Historical Tensions and Hardening Rhetoric: Solidarity with Ukrainian Refugees Wanes in Poland
In February 2022, Poland's civilian population impressed the world, spontaneously organizing humanitarian convoys at its border with Ukraine. Three years on, the country faces the challenge of integration.
'If it weren't for the war, we wouldn't be here,' says Vladyslav, as he tidies up the sweets section of the supermarket where he works. Having arrived in Poland in August 2022 to escape compulsory military conscription in his country, this Ukrainian refugee remembers 'the hospital director who asked a friend to speak Polish rather than Ukrainian in the waiting room,' and admits that his sister is sometimes 'ignored by her fellow students because of her accent.' These are not isolated cases: one Ukrainian in three claims to have already been confronted with an attitude of superiority on the part of Poles.
The wave of solidarity unleashed by the Russian invasion seems almost a distant memory. In February 2022, Poland's civilian population impressed the world, spontaneously organizing humanitarian convoys at the border, welcoming refugees at railway stations and providing shelter for families.
Three years on, Poland, home to almost a million refugees, faces the challenge of integration: 38%…
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