The Volhynia massacre is the main reason for Poles’ worsening attitude toward Ukrainians

According to a CBOS poll, 45.4% of Poles cited the Volhynia massacre as the main reason for the deterioration of attitudes toward Ukrainians in Poland.

The poll was conducted August 17–20 among a representative sample of 1,000 adult respondents. In addition to the Volhynia massacre, respondents cited other reasons for negative attitudes: social welfare benefits for Ukrainians in Poland — 36.4%, Russian propaganda — 26.2%, and statements by Ukrainian politicians about Poland — 24.4%.

Against this backdrop, attacks on Ukrainians in Poland have become more frequent. In Radom, a drunk 34-year-old man accosted three 20-year-old Ukrainians with questions about their origins and the Volhynia massacre. Seven more men then joined him, and together they beat the Ukrainians.

In Bydgoszcz, a man and a woman attacked a 12-year-old Ukrainian boy and his 14-year-old sister after hearing the children speaking Ukrainian to each other.

Warsaw, for its part, has stated that Poland will demand that Ukraine recognize the 1943–1944 Volhynia tragedy as a genocide of Poles as a condition for EU membership.