Roman Sheremeta
Aug 17, 2026
Another day. Another attack on Ukrainian children in Poland. This is absolutely disgusting.
In Bydgoszcz, Poland, two Ukrainian children – a 14-year-old girl and her 12-year-old brother – were attacked by two Poles simply because they were speaking Ukrainian to each other.
According to the Consulate General of Ukraine in Gdańsk, a man and a woman insulted and threatened the children, twisted the girl’s arm, broke their toy drone, and threw the broken pieces at the 12-year-old boy, leaving him with scratches.
Please spare me the claim that these are just isolated incidents.
They are not.
In the first six months of 2026 alone, Polish police received 180 reports of hate crimes targeting Ukrainians – already 30% more than during the same period last year. And that number does not even include everything that has happened in June and July.
We have watched one case after another. A 60-year-old Polish man was beaten in Poznań after defending a Ukrainian boy who was being verbally abused. Two 13-year-old Ukrainian children were attacked in Legnica. Two 11-year-old Ukrainian girls were subjected to xenophobic abuse on a bus in Bielsko-Biała. A Ukrainian couple was beaten in Wrocław. In another documented case, two Ukrainian women were attacked in Poznań specifically because of their nationality. Recently, three more Ukrainians have been injured in Kożuchów. Last week, two Polish women attacked Ukrainian citizens in Poznan.
At what point do we stop pretending there isn’t a serious problem with anti-Ukrainian xenophobia in Poland?
You can disagree with the Ukrainian government. You can debate history. You can argue about migration policy. You can criticize Ukrainians. None of that gives anyone permission to humiliate Ukrainian children on buses, attack women, or beat people because they happen to speak Ukrainian.
And words have consequences. When Ukrainians are relentlessly portrayed as parasites, criminals, historical enemies, or people who should be “sent home,” eventually someone decides that attacking them is acceptable.
Even Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has now publicly called for an end to xenophobic attacks against Ukrainians, saying those committing such acts are acting against Poland’s own interests.
Poland showed extraordinary humanity toward Ukrainians after February 2022. That makes what is happening now even more painful to watch.
This hatred needs to be confronted – not denied, minimized, excused, or blamed on some imaginary russian hiding behind every Polish xenophobe.
https://case.edu/weatherhead/about/faculty-and-staff-directory/roman-sheremeta
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Ariana Gic
Writer and Political Analyst
York University – Osgoode Hall Law School Direct Initiative International Centre for Ukraine
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
It has to be said: Russia has NOT created anti-Ukrainian sentiment in Poland. Moscow is CAPITALIZING on EXISTING hatred of Ukrainians. And while evil Russia knows how to expertly fan the flames, it didn’t start this fire. Poland has a problem which Russia simply exploits.
The Kremlin is not puppeteering ALL the leading parliamentary parties in Poland. Russia does not control Polish media. Politicians in Poland stoke anti-Ukrainian sentiment in Poland very well as do many journalists and commentators.
We must not lose sight of the fact that the radical nationalist President of Poland CAMPAIGNED and WON on anti-Ukrainian sentiment. Nawrocki and populist right parties have stirred more anti-Ukrainian sentiment since his victory.
And let’s also not lose sight of this important point: Just like the Kremlin tapped into existing hatred of Ukrainians among ordinary Russians with its anti-Ukrainian propaganda, so too did Nawrocki tap into existing anti-Ukrainian sentiment in Poland. Why the hell else would he have campaigned on such a platform? Certainly not to lose.
Fascist Russia has of course seized the opportunity, and exploits it as best it can, but pretending that the problem is Russian made is dishonest and will never fix the issue.
Ariana on X :
Aug 16
Russia destroyed nearly HALF a village in Zaporizhzhia region with guided bombs in ONE NIGHT. This elderly man in standing in front of the remains of what was his home. Even his cane burned in the fire. There is simply NO justice great enough for Russian crimes in Ukraine.
“We must not lose sight of the fact that the radical nationalist President of Poland CAMPAIGNED and WON on anti-Ukrainian sentiment. Nawrocki and populist right parties have stirred more anti-Ukrainian sentiment since his victory.”
That is the ghastly truth.
Another reliable friend lost; due to no fault of Ukraine.
I wonder what countries Poland now sees as its allies?