Survey Showed The Greatest Fears Of Poles About Ukraine And Refugees.

According to new survey data, a year ago, Poles' fears about the possible spread of hostilities from Ukraine to their country ranked only 6th on the list of threats. Today, these fears have risen to the first place, leading to increased resentment towards Ukrainian refugees.

According to the head of the Interdisciplinary Laboratory for the Study of War in Ukraine, Piotr Długosz, the survey "Attitudes of the Visegrad Group Countries' Residents Towards Military Refugees from Ukraine" revealed significant changes compared to last year's results. Previously, Poles were most concerned about inflation, but now the fear of the possible spread of war from Ukraine to Polish lands has become evident. Last year, this fear ranked 6th, but today it is in 1st place, with 40% of respondents admitting it.

Military expert, General Roman Polko, former commander of the GROM special unit, is not surprised by these results. In his opinion, there is a noticeable Western fatigue from the war and a desire for peace at any cost. However, Poles understand that Putin will not stop at Ukraine, just as he did not stop after annexing Crimea in 2014, because "Kremlin needs not only Ukraine, but also a new world order." Polko is convinced that Ukraine's defeat would mean a real threat to Poland.

"Ukraine is a buffer country. If it is gone, Russia will target Poland," the expert added.

The fear of war also affects Polish attitudes towards Ukrainian refugees. 63% of those surveyed would like aid to be provided only to Ukrainians living in combat zones or Russian-occupied territories, not to everyone, as it is now. According to Długosz, the hybrid war waged by Ukraine and the Russian Federation has a tangible effect.

According to Piotr Długosz, if there were to be a conflict escalation in Ukraine today and a new large influx of refugees, it is unlikely that the same support in Poland could be expected as in the first year of the war. This may be linked to fears of competition for resources.

Also, let's remind: in Poland, a mass increase in applications by Ukrainians for international protection has been recorded.