Gazeta Wyborcza revealed on 6 November that Polish police have recorded 188 hate-motivated attacks against Ukrainian nationals so far in 2025, compared with 113 incidents in 2022. The leaked data—corroborated by the Interior Ministry—points to a 76 % increase over three years and the highest number since large-scale refugee arrivals began after Russia’s invasion in 2022.
Civil-society organisations interviewed by the paper say the figures underestimate the problem because many migrant workers are reluctant to file official complaints for fear of retaliation or losing their jobs. Most incidents involve verbal harassment on public transport or in the workplace, but 37 cases this year escalated to physical violence. In one widely publicised incident in Katowice in September, a Ukrainian food-delivery rider was assaulted by a group of locals after speaking Russian on his phone.
![Report shows 76 % surge in attacks on Ukrainian migrants living in Poland]()
Experts link the rise to economic grievances—Poland’s unemployment ticked up to 5.5 % in Q3—and to inflammatory rhetoric by fringe politicians blaming migrants for straining the welfare system. While mainstream parties condemn xenophobia, a recent CBOS poll shows that 28 % of respondents think Ukrainians now “take jobs away from Poles,” up from 17 % a year ago.
The Interior Ministry says it is stepping up hate-crime training for local police and funding awareness campaigns in schools. Employers’ associations are urging companies that rely on Ukrainian staff in construction, logistics and agriculture to update anti-discrimination policies and provide confidential reporting channels.
For global mobility managers the trend is a warning signal: although Poland remains one of the EU’s easiest labour markets for Ukrainians, duty-of-care obligations require reassessing security briefings, housing choices and mental-health support for relocated employees.
Civil-society organisations interviewed by the paper say the figures underestimate the problem because many migrant workers are reluctant to file official complaints for fear of retaliation or losing their jobs. Most incidents involve verbal harassment on public transport or in the workplace, but 37 cases this year escalated to physical violence. In one widely publicised incident in Katowice in September, a Ukrainian food-delivery rider was assaulted by a group of locals after speaking Russian on his phone.
Experts link the rise to economic grievances—Poland’s unemployment ticked up to 5.5 % in Q3—and to inflammatory rhetoric by fringe politicians blaming migrants for straining the welfare system. While mainstream parties condemn xenophobia, a recent CBOS poll shows that 28 % of respondents think Ukrainians now “take jobs away from Poles,” up from 17 % a year ago.
The Interior Ministry says it is stepping up hate-crime training for local police and funding awareness campaigns in schools. Employers’ associations are urging companies that rely on Ukrainian staff in construction, logistics and agriculture to update anti-discrimination policies and provide confidential reporting channels.
For global mobility managers the trend is a warning signal: although Poland remains one of the EU’s easiest labour markets for Ukrainians, duty-of-care obligations require reassessing security briefings, housing choices and mental-health support for relocated employees.
