The Sopot Precedent:How One Polish City is Leading the Fight Against Anti-Ukrainian Sentiment

When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Poland set an unprecedented global benchmark for humanitarian solidarity. Within months, millions of Ukrainian women, children, and elderly citizens crossed the border, finding shelter in Poland.

Now Ukrainians–who number around 1.5 million, - are the largest immigrant group in Poland.

But now the political and social climate in Poland is witnessing a palpable rise in anti-Ukrainian rhetoric, verbal abuse, and physical incidents.

Sopot’s Alarm Call: Local Governments Push Back

On  July 24, the City Council of Sopot, a popular seaside resort city, became the first municipal body in Poland to pass a formal resolution condemning the escalation of anti-Ukrainian hostility and appealing directly to the President and Prime Minister for urgent state action.

The news outlet Polsat News highlighted a landmark step taken by the Sopot City Council, which officially adopted a resolution titled "On Counteracting Growing Anti-Ukrainian Sentiment and Expressing Solidarity with Ukrainian Citizens Living in Poland."

Disturbed by hate speech spilling over from online forums into physical public spaces, Sopot city councillors appealed directly to Poland’s top leadership—including the President and the Prime Minister—to launch a nation-wide social campaign based on objective economic data provided by the Central Statistical Office (GUS).

"With the utmost concern, we observe growing anti-Ukrainian sentiments in Poland, taking the form of dangerous radicalization," the resolution reads. The councillors stressed that Ukrainian residents are an integral part of the local community who have earned the right to live with dignity, security, and respect.

Recent High-Profile Incidents

The appeal comes against a troubling backdrop. Recent incidents—including verbal attacks on minors and assaults on Polish citizens who stood up in defense of Ukrainians—demonstrate how the hostilities are increasingly manifesting on city streets.

In May-July 2026, Polish law enforcement executed multiple arrests following a series of violent incidents targeting Ukrainian citizens across the country. The most prominent case occurred on Warsaw's Świętokrzyski Bridge, where a group of  ten young Poles brutally assaulted three Ukrainian teenagers. One victim suffered a skull fracture after attackers  beat him and shouted xenophobic slurs. Polish police subsequently detained five suspects aged 15 to 18.  In July 2026, in Bielsko-Biała, a 54-year-old off-duty bus driver was arrested after hurling xenophobic insults at three young Ukrainian girls aged 11 riding a municipal bus. In Poznań a 60-year-old Polish man was brutally beaten at a tram stop after intervening to protect a young Ukrainian boy from three aggressive men shouting nationalist slurs.

The Drivers: Why Is Anti-Ukrainian Sentiment  in Poland Growing?

Understanding this complex social shift requires analyzing a combination of economic pressure, historical trauma, political exploitation, and sponsored  disinformation.

In the immediate aftermath of the 2022 refugee crisis, the economic burden was overshadowed by humanitarian urgency. Over time, however, sustained high inflation, rising housing costs, and strained public services have created voter fatigue. Misinformation regarding state assistance—such as false claims that Ukrainian refugees receive higher welfare benefits or preferential access to healthcare and public education—has found fertile ground among struggling local populations.

At the same time Ukrainians pay more into the Polish state budget in taxes than they receive in benefits,  reported  Poland’s National Development Bank (BGK) has concluded. The research also indicated that Ukrainians contribute between 0.5% and 2.4% to Poland’s annual GDP growth.

69% of working-age Ukrainian refugees are employed, only slightly below Polish citizens (75%).

Data from Poland’s Statistical Office (GUS) shows that nearly 714.200 Ukrainians were working in the country by the end of 2024, accounting for 67% of all foreign workers.

The study shows that Ukrainian refugees” entry into the Polish labour market did not trigger adverse effects on the economy, such as a growth in unemployment or a decline in real wages; on the contrary, it contributed to an increase in employment for Poles, as well as improved productivity of Polish firms and employees.

The Ghosts of WWII  and  Political Exploitation

As domestic political competition intensifies in Poland, certain right-wing and nationalist factions have weaponized the Ukrainian presence to mobilize voters. Rhetoric framing Ukrainian integration as a threat to Polish cultural identity or worker wages has migrated from fringe groups into mainstream political discourse.

It's important not to forget historical scars, especially those related to events in Eastern Europe shared by Ukrainians and Poles until the mid-20th century. Both nations blame each other for the murder of thousands of people at the end of World War II. In the face of political or economic disputes—such as the recent blockades of agricultural transport and grain on the Polish-Ukrainian border—these historical resentments often resurface, undermining mutual trust.

What's even worth mentioning is the story of Polish President Nawrocki revoking the highest state award—the Order of the White Eagle—from Ukrainian President Zelensky in June 2026. The latter  was named one of the front-line units  after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), respected by Ukrainians and considered criminals in Polish historiography. This led to a series of serious and comical events, but it significantly worsened Polish-Ukrainian relations. This also fueled the activism of supporters of far-right movements and organizations in Poland and  literally divided Polish society.

According to a CBOS survey, 41% of respondents believe that the Polish president's decision brings more losses than benefits to Poland, but exactly the same percentage believe that the benefits outweigh the losses. At the same time, a full 75% of Poles believe that Poland and Ukraine should, above all, cooperate in the face of the threat from Russia.

Hybrid Warfare and Digital Disinformation

As Sopot’s city council highlighted in its appeal, hostile foreign actors—most notably Russian disinformation networks—actively amplify xenophobic narratives. By using coordinated bot networks and social media accounts, these campaigns intentionally feed social divisions, aiming to erode Western solidarity with Ukraine from within host nations.

A central pillar of Sopot’s appeal to the Polish government is the urgent need for a fact-based public awareness campaign. Contrary to popular myths surrounding economic dependency, data from the Central Statistical Office (GUS) and economic think tanks present a vastly different reality.

Ukrainians in Poland exhibit one of the highest labor market participation rates among refugee groups in Europe.  In a country facing severe demographic aging and labor shortages across manufacturing, construction, logistics, and service sectors, Ukrainian labor has become a critical economic stabilizer rather than a burden.

Societal and Geopolitical Consequences

The normalization of anti-Ukrainian sentiment carries profound risks for both Poland and the broader security architecture of Central Europe.

Destabilizing Polish-Ukrainian relations directly serves the strategic interests of the Kremlin. Undermining mutual trust between Warsaw and Kyiv threatens unity on NATO's eastern flank.