February 1943: The region of Volhynia, then part of Nazi-occupied Poland and now part of Ukraine, saw a wave of violence unleashed on the Polish population by Ukrainian nationalists. It is estimated that by August of that year, up to 120,000 Poles were massacred in Volhynia by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army. Exactly 80 years on from this bloody chapter in Polish-Ukrainian history, Poland has helped millions of Ukrainians fleeing Russia's invasion.
Among those helping are Beata and Karol Popko, who have made one of the three bedrooms in their Warsaw flat, which they share with their two-and-a-half-year-old daughter, available for refugees. "I wonder what my grandmother would say if she were still alive," says 32-year-old Karol. "She survived the Volhynia massacre, and my entire childhood was marked by stories about the atrocities committed by the evil Ukrainians."
Nevertheless, he believes that Ukrainian refugees should be helped regardless of the old wounds in the relations between these two countries. Over the course of the past year, 12 refugees have lived with the Popko family — some for days, others for weeks — until they were able to find their own accommodation or left Poland altogether.
Popko often gathered up the refugees at the railway station in Warsaw where he worked as a volunteer helping Ukrainian arrivals alongside his regular job. He has also driven trucks in aid convoys to Ukraine.
Poland now a country of immigration
The search machine expert also runs one of the most popular websites for Ukrainian refugees in Poland, ukrainianinpoland.pl. "Our texts are written by Ukrainians living in Poland who know exactly what their compatriots need," he says. "We want to help people who suddenly have to build a new life here," explains Popko. The website tells them how to get a Polish driving license, how to find a dentist or what help is available to Ukrainians from international organizations.
Right from the word go, Ukrainian refugees in Poland have been able to rely more on private and social initiatives than on the authorities. The sudden arrival of millions of people in a short space of time was a massive challenge for Poland — one for which no one was prepared. Within weeks of Russia launching the invasion on February 24, 2022, Poland — which had previously refused to take in refugees at EU level — had become a country of immigration.
Most refugees want to go home
Millions of Ukrainians have come to Poland. Although many have since returned to Ukraine or left Poland for other countries, over 1.4 million have registered in Poland.
Once they have a Polish insurance number (PESEL), they get state health insurance and are allowed to work. The state gives them the equivalent of €70 ($75) in welcome money and €110 in monthly child benefits. Adults without children do not receive any support. Nevertheless, far more Ukrainian refugees fled to Poland than to any other country.
Language and proximity made Poland attractive
According to surveys, three-quarters of them hope to go back home, which is why they prefer to stay in neighbouring Poland rather than move to a more distant country.
For many Ukrainian refugees, the Polish language is also a decisive factor. Polish and Ukrainian are similar enough to allow both sides to communicate easily with one another.
Moreover, some refugees already had relatives in Poland and were able to find work through them.
Wave of solidarity
Even before the Russian invasion, about one million Ukrainians worked in Poland. Many of them moved there when Russia occupied Crimea in 2014. Of this group, many men returned to fight for Ukraine after Russia invaded their country on February 24, 2022. At present, there are about 2.2 million Ukrainians in Poland.
The extent of solidarity shown at the start of the war was surprising, says Dominika Pszczolkowska, a political scientist at the Centre of Migration Research at the University of Warsaw. "The Poles never rank very highly when it comes to European surveys about active citizenship. Business and family matters count more to them," she told DW. Nevertheless, she adds, when it came to helping Ukrainian refugees, the Poles demonstrated a phenomenal ability to organize quickly from the bottom up.
Anti-Ukrainian attitudes spreading
But the willingness to help is receding. In late 2022, surveys indicated that 63% of Poles — or someone close to them — were supporting refugees out of their own pocket. In January 2023, on the other hand, the Warsaw-based Public Opinion Research Center CBOS discovered that this had dropped to just 41%.
"It was to be expected that fatigue would set in," says Pszczolkowska, adding that prices have risen in Poland, too, and people are able to afford less and less. "And if, for example, someone has to wait longer for a doctor's appointment because there are also Ukrainians in the queue ahead of them, then that person might easily vent their anger at those Ukrainians."
According to the Racist and Xenophobic Behaviour Monitoring Centre in Warsaw, the number of verbal and physical attacks on Ukrainians has risen sharply. During last year's annual demonstration by nationalists on Poland's national holiday, November 11, people carried banners and shouted anti-Ukrainian slogans like "The Ukrainian is not my brother," "Stop the ukrainization of Poland" and "This is not our war."
Fear of Russia on the rise
However, the influx of Ukrainian refugees has not been the only thing that has shaped Poland over the past year. So too has a growing fear of Russia. According to the CBOS, 43% of Poles consider the prospect of a Russian attack on their country to be realistic, and 78% see Russia as a threat.
Karol Popko is afraid, too. "I think that Putin could attack Poland. If he has already mobilized hundreds of thousands of soldiers, he can't just send them home again; he has to do something with them. So, he'll attack somewhere and then see what happens," he says.
Popko says that he may in future seek refuge for himself, his family and his company abroad. But he intends to stay in Poland as long as possible. "Thousands of Ukrainians who need help are still coming to Poland every day."