75% of Polish respondents in a survey by the public CBOS said that the war in Ukraine threatened Poland’s security. The figure has been a constant for several months now. 

When asked if Russia’s invasion of Ukraine represented a threat to Polish security, 35% of the survey participants answered “yes, definitely,” while 40% said, “probably yes”. In the meantime, 18% of respondents expressed that the ongoing war does “probably not threaten” Poland’s security. Only 2% answered that it was “definitely not a threat.” 

Meanwhile, over 80% of Poles surveyed said they are in favour of accepting refugees fleeing their Ukrainian homeland. Data provided by the CBOS survey reveal that this high support for welcoming Ukrainian refugees can be observed no matter the age or social group, or political affiliation. 

Since 24 February, when Russia launched its large-scale invasion of Ukraine, over 6 million people have crossed the Polish-Ukrainian border into Poland, the Border Guard informed on 4 September. 

According to Ukrinform, there may be more than 3 million Ukrainian citizens remaining in Poland as of today. At the start of last Thursday’s academic year, around 185,000 Ukrainian children went to Polish schools.

From the beginning of the conflict, Polish officials assured that any Ukrainian seeking help or refuge in Poland would receive it. Tonnes of aid have already been provided by Poles. 

Polish politicians, who are usually so keen on clashing with each other, proceeded to a much-needed “ceasefire” in the last months and joined their forces in order to coordinate the humanitarian help most effectively at every regional level.

Image: British Poles. Warsaw, 18th March 2022

Author: Sébastien Meuwissen