Poland holds a suspect for stabbing two Ukrainians for their nationality, the latest case in a year of rising hate crimes against them
Both victims went to hospital with multiple wounds, and the 30-year-old man accused of attacking them had hidden in a forest before officers found him.
Polish authorities have apprehended an individual accused of assaulting two Ukrainians on a bus due to their nationality, according to police reports. A court subsequently issued an order of his detention, with the charges he faces potentially resulting in lengthy prison sentences. Amid Russia's ongoing full-scale war, over a million Ukrainians have sought refuge in Poland, leading to a surge in hate crimes targeting them this year.
Polish law enforcement recorded 180 incidents of anti-Ukrainian hate crimes during the first half of 2026, a 30% increase compared to the previous year. The suspect was traced to a forest in Warsaw's northern Bielany district, where he was apprehended last weekend. The 30-year-old was hiding in an old shed within the wooded area, as revealed by police.
He has been charged with three offenses: two for the bus attack and one for threats against another individual in August 2024. Police noted that this behavior is not his first offense; he was previously incarcerated for a similar crime five years ago. The charges could land him behind bars for three to 20 years. In response to the escalating attacks on Ukrainians in Poland, Ukraine's ambassador to the country, Vasyl Bodnar, reported a rise in anti-Ukrainian remarks and assaults by around 30%.
This prompted protests in 22 Polish cities against the violence faced by Ukrainians and other minorities. Other recent cases of violence against Ukrainians include an incident in Wrocław, where two men were detained for allegedly beating a Ukrainian couple, and an incident in Bydgoszcz, where a woman attacked a Ukrainian girl and her brother after overhearing them speak Ukrainian.
In September, a man brutally assaulted a 20-year-old Ukrainian tourist in central Warsaw, while a knife attack at a monastery in Jarosław left a Ukrainian priest fatally wounded. Bodnar expressed concerns that some Polish politicians and media figures were using these incidents to advocate for the deportation of Ukrainians. Meanwhile, police in southwestern Poland detained a Russian citizen suspected of espionage after discovering him photographing railway infrastructure.
Russia's alleged sabotage campaign continues to pose a threat to Poland and other European nations, with Ukraine warning of potential sabotage in Eastern Europe, which it attributes to Kyiv.
Written by urgent.news from Euromaidan Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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