Poland's Anti-Ukrainian Refugee Policy Shift: Aid Dries Up

• Martynka, a Krakow-based shelter for Ukrainian women and children, is struggling to secure funding amidst growing anti-Ukrainian sentiment in Poland.
• Founder Nastya Podorozhnya established the organization four years ago to protect vulnerable refugees from human trafficking and gender-based violence.
• While Poland initially welcomed approximately 3.5 million Ukrainian refugees, political rhetoric has shifted, with leaders proposing policies that prioritize Polish citizens.
• Ukrainian refugees have significantly contributed to Poland's economy, with over 70% finding employment and adding 2.7% to the GDP in 2024.
• Research indicates that anti-Ukrainian sentiment intensified during the 2025 Polish presidential campaign, becoming a common theme across political parties.

The growing anti-Ukrainian sentiment has been actively exploited by politicians seeking electoral advantage.

Organizations dedicated to aiding Ukrainian refugees in Poland are currently facing significant challenges, marked by a decline in available funding, an increase in anti-Ukrainian sentiment, and the absence of a comprehensive, long-term integration strategy from the Polish government. This evolving environment is particularly impacting groups like Martynka, a non-profit operating a women's shelter in Krakow.

Nastya Podorozhnya, 29, founded Martynka as a helpline and support group for female Ukrainian refugees escaping gender-based violence. Her motivation stemmed from witnessing the vulnerability of Ukrainian women to human traffickers shortly after Russia's full-scale invasion began on February 24, 2022. Podorozhnya, who was already living in Poland, had returned to Ukraine days before the invasion to assist her sister and nieces in fleeing the conflict. The Martynka shelter, housed in an unassuming two-bedroom apartment in central Krakow, has since provided refuge and assistance to over 100 women and children, offering help to escape abusers, access to medical care, psychological support, and aid with finding jobs and housing. Podorozhnya shared with The Associated Press during an interview at the shelter on Thursday, July 2, 2026, that her own experience of a man attempting to rape her on a Polish street in 2016 informs her empathy, often starting conversations with women over tea in the shelter's kitchen.

Four years after its inception, Martynka is struggling to remain operational. While fundraising efforts were relatively straightforward in the initial months of the war, international donors have since redirected their focus to other global crises, leading to a significant drop in financial support. Podorozhnya reports that appeals for donations frequently result in a barrage of online abuse, which she attributes directly to her Ukrainian identity.

The current difficulties stand in stark contrast to the initial outpouring of solidarity Poland demonstrated at the war's outset. In the first weeks of the conflict, approximately 3.5 million Ukrainians sought refuge in Poland, where they were met with open arms by Polish citizens at train stations and offered accommodation in private homes. The Polish government further facilitated their integration by granting refugees access to employment opportunities and social security benefits.

By the close of 2022, the number of Ukrainian refugees in Poland had stabilized at around 1 million. These individuals rapidly entered the labor market, with more than 70% securing employment. A Deloitte study in 2024 estimated that Ukrainian refugees contributed a substantial 2.7% to Poland's gross domestic product. This influx built upon an existing Ukrainian presence, as over 1 million Ukrainians, primarily economic migrants, resided in Poland before the war. Despite these significant economic contributions, the prevailing sentiment has shifted, and refugees, predominantly women and children, have increasingly become targets of anti-Ukrainian rhetoric as war fatigue deepens.

The growing anti-Ukrainian sentiment has been actively exploited by politicians seeking electoral advantage. Research conducted by Olena Babakova, a researcher at Warsaw's Vistula University, indicates a marked intensification of anti-Ukrainian feeling during the 2025 Polish presidential campaign. This sentiment became a pervasive theme across all political parties, not solely confined to the far-right.

During the campaign, Karol Nawrocki, representing the national-conservative camp who ultimately won the presidency, pledged to introduce legislation that would prioritize Polish citizens over Ukrainians in accessing public services. Similarly, liberal candidate Rafał Trzaskowski proposed restrictions on child welfare benefits for Ukrainians. As these political tensions escalated, historical grievances between Poland and Ukraine, two nations that share a long history of brutality at the hands of Russia and where Poland remains a key ally to Ukraine in the ongoing war, began to resurface. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy d.

Source: Original reporting via The Associated Press