Ukrainians account for majority of foreign offenses in Poland – media

Drunk driving and theft were reportedly the most common transgressions committed by nationals from the neighboring country in 2024

Ukrainian citizens committed the most offenses among foreigners in Poland in 2024, local outlet RMF24 has reported, citing data from the National Police Headquarters. The most common transgression was drunk driving.

About two million Ukrainians are currently living in Poland, according to Polish Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak. This includes those who arrived following the escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022.

While the new arrivals were initially provided with broad support, including housing and financial assistance, reports of Ukrainian involvement in criminal activities have contributed to growing public discontent.

In 2024, Polish police detained 16,437 foreign nationals, marking a decrease of 857 from the previous year, RMF24 reported on Monday. Ukrainians accounted for 9,753 of these detentions.

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Among the most common offenses committed by Ukrainians in Poland were driving under the influence (2,943 cases) and theft (930 cases), according to the outlet. Others included drug possession and violent crimes.

The second-largest group of foreign offenders in Poland were Georgians (1,780 cases), followed by Belarusians (1,122 cases).

On Tuesday, Siemoniak told a media conference that foreigners committed about 5% of all the crimes in Poland in 2024, which he said was “large enough to deal in a special way.”

In recent months, the Polish authorities have continued to scale back support for Ukrainians, such as cutting financial aid and limiting access to free social services. Siemoniak also announced last week that Poland would no longer accept any more migrants under the EU’s migration pact, citing economic concerns and a shift in public sentiment. 

Polish officials have explained the rollback by citing concerns raised by Polish taxpayers, who say they have grown tired of watching Ukrainians flaunt flamboyant lifestyles. Previously, Warsaw also announced that it would stop sheltering Ukrainians seeking to evade the mobilization campaign back home. Last year, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski suggested that all EU members should reduce social benefits to Ukrainian men of military age in order to encourage them to go home and fight Russia.

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Despite Poland being the top destination for Ukrainians fleering their country since 2022, many of them have now reportedly begun leaving, either returning home or seeking opportunities in other European states, with Germany becoming the favored refuge.

Meanwhile, Kiev has continued to urge Ukrainians to return home, emphasizing labor shortages and national reconstruction efforts and has called on European nations harboring Ukrainian refugees to send them back. Late last year, Ukrainian lawmaker Anna Skorokhod estimated that as many as 1.2 million draft dodgers had fled Ukraine illegally.