Ukrainian television presenter, volunteer and charity foundation founder Serhiy Prytula has addressed Polish society amid a growing number of reports of attacks against Ukrainians. He urged Poland to curb anti-Ukrainian sentiment and prevent further escalation of violence.
Prytula made the statement in a Facebook post.
The volunteer mentioned several recent incidents: an elderly man’s attack on a Ukrainian woman in Gdynia, the assault of a Ukrainian couple near a shop in Wrocław, and a mother’s allegation that her Ukrainian daughter had two teeth knocked out in Warsaw after the attackers heard her accent.
Prytula argued that such incidents could no longer be viewed as isolated cases. He described the situation as a dangerous trend and warned that the continued dehumanisation of Ukrainians could lead to further violence.
“The level of hatred is approaching the point where pogroms against Ukrainians in Poland could become an ordinary and accepted occurrence tomorrow or the day after,” he wrote.
Prytula compared the spread of anti-Ukrainian rhetoric in Poland with Russia’s treatment of Ukraine before the full-scale invasion, when Ukrainian history was disparaged for years and Ukrainians were labelled “Nazis.” At the same time, he stressed that Ukrainians were not responding with violence against Poles.
He also recalled the Poles who have supported Ukraine, including volunteers serving in Ukrainian units, aid workers killed in Russian attacks and families that provided shelter to Ukrainian refugees following the start of the full-scale war.
Prytula believes Poland and Ukraine could form a powerful economic and military alliance in Europe, jointly developing their defence industries, cultural ties and trade.
“There are only two possible paths from here: Poland either reins in anti-Ukrainian sentiment and regains its status as Ukraine’s most reliable partner, or it turns into another Russia,” he said, adding that Ukrainians and Poles would remain neighbours forever.
Polish police received 180 reports of suspected hate crimes against Ukrainian citizens during the first half of 2026. This was more than 30% above the figure recorded during the same period in 2025. However, the figures concern complaints rather than crimes confirmed by court verdicts.
Police detained suspects following the assault on the Ukrainian couple in Wrocław. They were charged with using violence on the grounds of the victims’ nationality. In the case of the attack on a Ukrainian woman in Gdynia, police detained a 76-year-old man but said the available evidence had not established a national-hatred motive. The Warsaw incident is currently known primarily from the account given by the injured girl’s mother, while the alleged attackers have not yet been identified.
In early August, demonstrations against violence and xenophobia were held in 25 Polish cities. Polish officials and researchers have also warned that Russia is exploiting historical disputes between Kyiv and Warsaw and artificially amplifying anti-Ukrainian content across Polish-language social media.
