The Polish-Ukrainian Honeymoon Is Over

The boxing studio was small and designed in sleek black: black walls, black floors, big windows overlooking the snowy center of Warsaw. The women, some in their twenties, some decades older, some fit, some just getting there, stood in pairs. All were Ukrainian refugees who had found shelter in the Polish capital since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. The place smelled of new rubber with a hint of sweat. “Let’s go, ladies, hit from the right!” called Aleksandra Sidorenko, a European light...