According to a recent poll by the Center for Public Opinion Research (CBOS), two-thirds of Polish citizens believe their government should send Ukrainian men of military age back home to fight against Russia. The survey, published by PAP news agency on Thursday, revealed that 67% of Poles were in favor of deporting male Ukrainian refugees while only 22% thought they should be allowed to stay in Poland.
Although more than half (53%) of those surveyed wanted their country to continue accepting Ukrainian refugees, this is the lowest level since the conflict between Russia and Ukraine began in March 2022 when it reached 94. In addition, 46% of respondents believed that fighting should continue while 39% thought Kiev should make territorial or political concessions to Moscow to achieve peace.
The poll, which involved 941 participants, took place between September 12 and 22 through telephone, online, and in-person interviews, as stated by CBOS. Poland, one of Ukraine’s main backers during the conflict, initially accepted over a million refugees from its neighboring state; however, public sentiment towards Ukrainians has shifted since then. According to UN data, there are approximately 6.1 million Ukrainian refugees living in the EU and the UK.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski suggested last month that EU member states should reduce social benefits given to Ukrainian refugees to encourage them to return home. He argued that “We should not be subsidizing draft evasion.” In July, Warsaw announced plans to establish the ‘Ukrainian Legion,’ aimed at gathering Ukrainian men staying in Poland and other EU countries for military training before returning home to defend their country. However, Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz reported that only around 300 people had volunteered to join this unit within almost three months of its announcement.