Investigation: The coordinated campaign to drive hate against Ukrainians in Central Europe

Ukrainian refugees living in Poland, Germany, and Czechia are increasingly facing aggression, including insults on public transport and even knife attacks, according to journalists at the Kyiv Independent. This pattern has been traced back to narratives circulating online that are picked up and amplified by local politicians in these countries.

Eva Yakubovska and Vladyslava Vorobiova, co-founders of the Vitsche organization, have faced aggression since they began holding rallies in support of Ukraine following Russia's invasion. In Berlin, Vorobiova witnessed a man with a knife approach her and her colleague, who later slashed his own arms before being subdued by police who failed to log the incident.

In Prague, Kateryna Lebed, who fled the war from Zaporizhzhia to Czechia, was attacked in a public space, with the man shouting "Ukrainian whores!" and assaulting her. In Warsaw, Oleksandra Iwaniuk, who has lived in Poland since 2010, was verbally abused on a tram when a man repeatedly shouted "Russian whores." Both women have expressed fear of speaking Ukrainian in public due to the hostility they have encountered.

While statistics on the extent of anti-Ukrainian aggression are incomplete, it is clear that many victims do not report incidents or do not see the police responding effectively to these attacks.