Polish hate crimes against Ukrainians rise 30%
A sharp rise in reported hate crimes against Poland’s 1.6 million Ukrainians threatens businesses and social stability as political rhetoric escalates.
Polish police received 180 reports of hate crimes against Ukrainians in the first half of 2026, a roughly 30% increase from the same period last year. If this pace continues, the annual total will reach around 360 reports, significantly exceeding the 275 recorded in 2025 and 267 in 2024. The data, reported by Rzeczpospolita, captures only reported incidents, which experts note represent a fraction of actual offences.
"It is generally assumed that hate crimes are underreported," Jacek Kucharczyk, head of the Institute of Public Affairs, told the newspaper. "Some victims don’t want to report a crime because they’re simply afraid."
Ukrainians constitute Poland's largest immigrant group, with around 1.6 million living in the country. The targeting of this population poses a direct risk to commercial activity, illustrated by recent charges against two far-right activists who confronted a Ukrainian woman running a business offering assistance to Ukrainian immigrants. In May, five Polish teenagers were also detained in Warsaw following a violent attack on young Ukrainians, with mayor Rafał Trzaskowski blaming right-wing politicians for "encouraging thugs".
Kucharczyk noted that a "toxic atmosphere" is moving from political rhetoric into real-life consequences. He added that Russia seeks to stoke and exploit such sentiment, a concern highlighted by the upcoming trial of an 18-year-old Ukrainian accused of working on behalf of Russia to paint provocative inscriptions in public places.
The deteriorating social climate coincides with a diplomatic dispute between Warsaw and Kyiv. Tensions flared after President Volodymyr Zelensky named a military unit after a nationalist group that led massacres of Poles during World War Two. For companies and investors, the overlap of domestic social friction and bilateral tension adds unpredictability to Poland's operating environment.
Political leaders are now trading blame over the unrest. Prime Minister Donald Tusk called a recent incident where a man hurled obscenities at Ukrainian children on a bus "disgusting", warning of the potential "disastrous consequences" of inciting national hatred. Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński promised the state would deal with "any form of aggression" while blaming the right-wing opposition.
Law and Justice (PiS) spokesman Rafał Bochenek rejected those claims, accusing Tusk and Kierwiński of "cynically exploiting" the bus incident. He stated the government was "responsible for the brutalisation of public life in Poland". Meanwhile, Ukraine's foreign minister, Andrij Sybiha, called on "Polish politicians to stop inciting hatred against Ukrainians".
Ukrainian ambassador Vasyl Bodnar struck a more conciliatory note, hailing that "the entire political class" in Poland had condemned the bus incident. He expressed hope the recent wave of attacks is a "temporary symptom" that "will pass".
