Tusk Urges End to Attacks on Ukrainians
PHOTO CAPTION: Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk arrives for a dinner of the 'Coalition of the Willing', a coalition of countries that have extended their support to Ukraine, on the eve of Bastille Day celebrations, at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, July 13, 2026. REUTERS/Tom Nicholson
WARSAW, July 28 — Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called Tuesday for an end to xenophobic attacks against Ukrainians in Poland after several reported hate crimes drew national attention.
Tusk spoke after a video widely shared on social media showed three Polish men beating a Ukrainian man and his girlfriend in Wroclaw on Sunday, reportedly following a disagreement inside a shop.
Two of the suspected attackers were arrested Monday.
“Anyone who commits such vile acts is acting directly against Poland’s interests,” Tusk told a government meeting.
“You are working against Poland, in favour of Russia and in favour of Polish and Ukrainian nationalism,” he said.
Poland remains a strong supporter of Ukraine’s war effort, but Ukrainians living in the country have faced growing public hostility in recent years.
An initial wave of sympathy following Russia’s 2022 invasion has increasingly given way to frustration over refugees.
Relations between Warsaw and Kyiv have also been strained by historical disputes.
Tensions intensified after Ukraine named a military unit after a group of World War Two nationalist insurgents. The group is honored in Ukraine for fighting Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union but condemned in Poland for taking part in massacres of Poles.
In June, Polish President Karol Nawrocki stripped Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy of Poland’s highest honor over the dispute.
Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita reported earlier in July that police received 180 reports of hate crimes against Ukrainians during the first half of 2026.
That represented a 30% increase from the previous year, the newspaper reported.
Sunday’s attack in Wroclaw was the latest in a series of incidents widely covered by Polish media.
In Poznan, a 60-year-old Polish man was beaten at a tram stop after intervening when three men verbally abused a Ukrainian boy.
In the southern city of Bielsko-Biala, a 54-year-old Polish man was filmed insulting two Ukrainian girls because of their nationality.
In Legnica in southwestern Poland, police charged a 26-year-old woman after she assaulted two 13-year-old Ukrainians, allegedly because of their nationality.
Ukraine’s ambassador to Poland, Vasyl Bodnar, said Monday that such incidents were unacceptable and expressed hope that those responsible would be brought to justice.
(Source: Reuters)
