Polen i Norge

Since 24 February 575,152 persons crossed Polish-Ukrainian border. Only on 1 March, 98,077 people entered Poland from Ukraine, on 2 March - 94,958. They are predominantly citizens of Ukraine, but among persons who enter Poland are also citizens of India, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Belarus, the US, Georgia and other countries. The Polish Border Guard verifies identity of all admitted persons.

Poland set up 27 reception points for refugees. Eight are located at border crossings, the rest are located in major Polish cities. Reception points provide medical assistance, food and information. Refugees can also get relevant information at 22 information points across Poland.

Poland introduced a simplified procedure for refugees, allowing persons without travel documents to cross the border. people with no travel documents, to enter Poland. After reaching the crossing point and being granted the Polish border guard’s special consent to enter Poland, the people have 15 days to legalize their stay. This is an exceptional solution, which is now applied on a wider scale if necessary, for humanitarian reasons.

Refugees are exempted from all COVID-19 restrictions and quarantine.

All displaced persons have access to free medical care and Polish health care services.

Refugees do not need to register at reception points or worry about formalities.

Citizens of Ukraine residing in Poland do not have to leave the country in the event of expiry of their residence permits. The legality of their stay will be extended.

Ukrainian citizens can benefit from the employment services free of charge. It is estimated that the Polish market may provide jobs for 200,000 foreigners in the short term, and in the longer term - even up to 700,000. The procedure of issuing work permits has been simplified and their validity extended.

Ukrainian pupils and students (from 7 to 18 years of age) can be admitted to public schools and provided with care and education on the basis of general rules.

Poland launched a humanitarian coordination mechanism in order to streamline the activities of the government, international agencies, local authorities and civil society. On 28 February, a large hub for humanitarian aid was launched near the city of Lublin, run by the Government’s Strategic Reserves Agency. The hub receives aid intended for Ukraine that will further be distributed to people in need.

Special hospital train provides medical assistance to the refugees.

The government has set up a website to coordinate humanitarian aid for Ukraine (https://pomagamukrainie.gov.pl/), a dedicated hot line and website (www.ua.gov.pl) for refugees.

Poland utterly condemns the Russian military aggression against Ukraine and - as a neighboring country as well as a member of NATO and the EU - stands by Ukraine.

Poland strongly supports Ukraine’s accession to the European Union. Recently, President Andrzej Duda proposed an expedited path for Ukraine to join European Union.

Polish embassy in Kiev and the consulate general in Lviv are still active in Ukraine. Ambassador Bartosz Cichocki and his staff facilitate and coordinate contacts and cooperation between Poland and Ukraine. Consulate General in Lviv provides assistance to Poles, Ukrainians and citizens of other counties.

Around 1.3 million Ukrainians lived in Poland before the Russian invasion of Ukraine (64% of all foreigners living in Poland). Almost 84% of Ukrainians in Poland have a temporary residence permit, which may be valid for a maximum of 3 years. The vast majority of these permits are issued in connection with taking up employment - 77% of cases. The other most common reasons for staying in Poland are family links (12%) and education (2%).

Ukrainian migration to Poland intensified in 2014 - after the Revolution of Dignity, annexation of Crimea by Russia, and conflict in Donbas - mainly due to deteriorating economic situation in Ukraine. Poland introduced a visa-free regime and easier access to the Polish labour market.

Counteracting disinformation

The media have become major theatre of war. Poland is witnessing an increased disinformation activity in the context of the refugee crisis.

Poland helps everyone regardless of the country of origin. The help of unprecedented scale is provided by the Polish society, private sector, the state and local authorities. The government is in constant contact with foreign diplomatic missions to ensure the safety of their citizens fleeing the territory of Ukraine.

We notice radicalisation of the anti-refugee rhetoric, mostly originating from internet troll farms previously operating on anti-Covid channels. The fake news about crimes committed by refugees are spread with the aim to instigate hostility toward the victims of war.

We observed that some Norwegian and international media reported on hostility towards the refugees of non-Ukrainian origin or mistreatment of non-white refugees in Poland. Evidence shows that these reports focused on isolated incidents and misrepresent the facts on the ground. More than half a million people have crossed the Polish border since 24 February. All the people fleeing Ukraine regardless of their nationality or country of origin are welcomed in Poland. All displaced persons have access to free medical care. The Polish government received official expressions of gratitude from representatives of Angola, Tanzania, Morocco, Kenya and South Africa, among others. Polish Embassies in the world, including the Embassy in Oslo have received many e-mails from individuals expressing gratitude and appreciation for the Polish reaction towards the crises evoked by the war in Ukraine.

A special alert service has been set up in Poland to report disinformation on the Internet. Since Russia's aggression, we monitor content posted in Polish social media, report and react to disinformation on an ongoing basis. We shall all be very cautious while both publishing and reading.