Opinion: irritation towards Ukrainians growing in Polish society

Ukrainians who have moved to Poland are beginning to feel more and more uncomfortable because Poles are behaving increasingly unfriendly – as noted by Vadim Gigin, a deputy of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus, in his talk with Alfa Radio

The Polish government intends to reduce funding of private facilities for Ukrainian refugees which seriously worries Ukrainians.

“They’re panicking. Hundreds of thousands, millions of Ukrainians have left for the European Union, including Poland, without any Schengen visas. They were given money, but now they are being restricted,” the expert noted.

“Nationalist sentiments are growing in Polish society; they are becoming chauvinistic towards Ukrainians. Outright irritation is growing in society. Polish farmers are setting up cordons on the border and Polish business is very unhappy,” Mr. Gigin explained how Ukrainian citizens who are in Poland feel.

The parliamentarian expressed confidence that the topic of anti-Ukrainian sentiments in Poland will gradually become a major one, “Ukrainians feel it. They will stop receiving all payments, subsidies, and benefits. Moreover, they will be brought back not only to the situation that was before February 2022, but even worse. A large influx of Ukrainians began to create problems: the burden on communal and social infrastructure, healthcare, and so on increased. Serious problems are constantly arising, and, of course, Polish citizens are asking questions. The country’s authorities cannot ignore these sentiments.”