Poland Maintains Long‑Term Legal, Financial Protections for 1.7 Million Ukrainian Refugees

Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Poland has provided legal and financial protection to 1.7 million Ukrainian citizens who were forced to leave their country due to the war, the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported. The ministry noted that the assistance provided to Ukrainians represents one of the largest displays of public support in the country following the onset of Russian aggression.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. According to the Polish MFA, approximately 77% of Poles have actively participated in helping Ukrainian refugees in various ways. Furthermore, 7% of Polish citizens opened their own homes to host Ukrainians fleeing the conflict. The total volume of funds spent by Polish society to support Ukrainians has exceeded 10 billion zlotys. The Polish foreign policy department emphasized that these figures demonstrate the enormous scale of assistance Poland has provided to Ukrainians since the start of the full-scale war. Changing public sentiment The release of the refugee data follows recent polling indicating growing reservations among the Polish public regarding their country’s future role in supporting Ukraine. An Opinia24 poll published in late July found that a majority of Poles oppose their country supporting Ukraine’s efforts to join the EU. The survey indicated that 52% of respondents opposed Poland supporting Ukraine’s EU membership efforts, compared with 33% who favored such support. Other Topics of Interest Ukraine Appoints 16 New Judges to High Anti-Corruption Court President Volodymyr Zelensky signed decrees on Aug. 21 appointing 16 new judges to the High Anti-Corruption Court and its Appeals Chamber, fulfilling a key EU reform requirement. Opposition was notably stronger regarding the potential deployment of Polish troops to Ukraine following the war. Sixty-five percent of respondents rejected the idea of sending Polish forces to supervise a ceasefire or peace agreement, while only 18% supported the proposal. When asked whether their attitudes toward Ukrainians had changed since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, 54% of respondents said their views remained unchanged. However, 36% stated their attitudes had worsened, while only 3% reported an improvement. Historical disputes and military aid Views on continued military support remain closely divided, particularly when framed around historical disputes. When asked about assistance in the context of Ukraine’s commemoration of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), 44% of respondents said Poland should suspend military assistance, while 41% said Warsaw should continue supporting Ukraine. A separate IBRiS poll published earlier in July found that 52.2% of respondents supported continued Polish military assistance overall, while 45.2% opposed it. The Opinia24 survey also demonstrated approval for Polish President Karol Nawrocki’s recent decision to strip President Volodymyr Zelensky of the Order of the White Eagle, Poland’s highest state decoration. Fifty-five percent of respondents supported the decision, while 27% opposed it. Poland has served as a major transit hub for international military and humanitarian assistance and has provided substantial weapons supplies to Ukraine since February 2022. However, disputes connected to the UPA and the wartime massacres of Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia have remained a persistent source of tension between Warsaw and Kyiv. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.