By Ivan Kysloshchuk
At the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Poland became one of the major destinations for those fleeing the war, hosting nearly two million refugees at its peak. The crisis sparked an unprecedented mobilization, with around 80% of adult citizens engaging in the humanitarian response. In total, public and private spending on refugee support during the first three months of the war accounted for roughly one per cent of Poland’s GDP in 2022, according to the Polish Economic Institute.
More than three years on, the situation looks markedly different. Hostility and disinformation targeting Ukrainian refugees have intensified, while support has shrunk. In this changing landscape, the Ukrainian diaspora and refugee-led media are struggling to survive, simultaneously working to meet the evolving needs of their communities while countering fake news and hateful narratives.
From reception to participation
Information provision has been a crucial form of support for refugees. In the early months, numerous initiatives emerged, aiming to make newcomers aware of available assistance and help them navigate life in new surroundings. City councils launched Ukrainian-language versions of their websites. Local and national media created dedicated news services. NGOs opened stationary information points.
Today, many of these projects have been closed. However, the information needs of refugees have not diminished. According to the UNHCR, 40 per cent of Ukrainians in Poland still face obstacles in accessing information. At the same time, their priorities have shifted from receiving urgent humanitarian aid to pursuing long-term integration.
“When people first arrived in Poland, they were looking for information to cover their basic needs. Now they are interested in other topics, including the legalisation related to staying or educational opportunities for children,” said Oksana Kuzmenko, editor-in-chief of the diaspora Ukrainian media outlet “Our Choice”, founded in 2011 by the Ukrainian House Foundation to provide news to Ukrainian labour migrants.
“Articles about Polish culture and traditions are also popular, as refugees want to learn more about the country they live in,” she added.
To meet the changing needs of its audience, “Our Choice” has intensified its coverage of the political situation in Poland, elucidating not only recent trends but also how Ukrainians may influence them. Although the opportunities remain limited, the outlet regularly reports on the available forms of participation, such as voting in the city’s participatory budget or engaging in civic activism.
“Ukrainians work legally and pay taxes here. Thus, they have some rights to make their voices heard,” said Oksana Kuzmenko.
Combating hostility and disinformation
Another challenge for Ukrainians in Poland is the rapidly deteriorating public attitude towards them. A 2025 CBSO poll found 38 per cent of Poles feel animosity toward Ukrainians, a significant increase of 21 per cent compared to 2023. This hostility is visible both online and offline. Recent media reports have highlighted several cases of assaults in public places targeting Ukrainians, while the volume of anti-Ukrainian publications and comments on social media grew by 13 per cent in 2024, reaching around 330,000.
“Hate speech affects people even when it isn’t directed at them personally. Those who witness it online or in real life also suffer. Constantly reading and hearing hostile messages puts an impact on one’s well-being, said Maria Syrchyna, deputy editor-in-chief of media outlet Sestry.eu.
“We’ve had cases where women we wanted to interview at first refused to speak because they were afraid that hundreds of bots would flood the comments, telling them to go back to Ukraine. However, after they decided to speak out, hundreds of real people showed them great support,” she said.
The portal was launched in 2023 by former editors of the prominent Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza in cooperation with refugee women journalists.
Initially, the goal was to support refugees by providing them with practical information and to offer displaced Ukrainian women journalists an opportunity to continue their professional work. Their mission quickly evolved to facilitate dialogue between Poles and Ukrainians.
The portal not only publishes content in both languages, providing coverage of the ongoing war and crucial affairs for both nations, but also organises community initiatives. One of them is an award, “Portraits of Sisterhood”.
“On the one hand, by this award, we want to give recognition to those Polish and Ukrainian women who contribute significantly to mutual dialogue and the Ukrainian fight against Russian aggression. On the other hand, it aims to show Ukrainians that there are other Poles who stand with us,” said Maria Syrchyna.
A key factor behind this shift is disinformation disseminated both by Russia and far-right Polish politicians. Common manipulative narratives include claims of preferential treatment, welfare abuse, or ‘ukrainization’ of Poland.
Many Ukrainian media outlets in Poland strive to counter this phenomenon by debunking myths in their publications and reaching out to a wider Polish audience.
“Our Choice” ran a special project with other Ukrainian outlets from Slovakia and Czechia, which countered disinformation about refugees in Central Europe. Publications were translated into Polish and reached a wide readership. “Our Choice” staff were invited to the Polish mainstream media to talk about the project.
Financial hardships
Despite the growing importance of diaspora and refugee-led media for the Ukrainian community in Poland, many of them are working under severe financial pressure. The declining attention to the war in Ukraine and global cuts to international aid threaten their sustainability.
Both interviewees admitted that their outlets recently stopped receiving support from major donors. However, they remain optimistic about the future of Ukrainian journalism in Poland.
The outlets are trying to address financial constraints by applying for grants, partnering with businesses, or incentivising readers to donate. They are also working on new projects.
Our Choice will continue its initiative on disinformation, while Sestry.eu creates new podcasts. “Our resources are modest, but we understand this is a long-term effort. To counter such a massive propaganda machine working against good Polish-Ukrainian relationships, we have only a few small newsrooms. However, with persistence, quality journalism, and daily hard work, we are able to deal with it,” said Maria Syrchyna.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Media Diversity Institute. Any question or comment should be addressed to [email protected] of the Media Diversity Institute (MDI).
