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Country analysis

Poland

Armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine started in 2014 after Russia invaded Crimea in southern Ukraine and, later that year, the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. The conflict escalated in February 2022 when Russia launched a full-scale invasion from Russian and Belarusian territory into northern, eastern, and southern Ukraine, resulting in mass displacement within Ukraine and abroad, mostly to the EU.

As at 12 September 2023, over 958,000 refugees from Ukraine had temporary protection status in Poland. The Polish Government granted these refugees access to social services and employment without a work permit. That said, the national response is insufficient to cover all the needs. Assistance from humanitarian NGOs supplement the response. Cash assistance is the highest need. Refugees from Ukraine also require continued protection and education assistance, particularly as most are women and children.

For a regional overview of the legal situation of refugees from Ukraine and access to essential services, please read our latest report.

(Atlantic Council 14/02/2023, Gov’t of Poland 12/09/2023, UNHCR accessed 12/09/2023, UNHCR 23/02/2023, IOM 29/08/2023)

Armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine started in 2014 after Russia invaded Crimea in southern Ukraine and, later that year, the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. The conflict escalated in February 2022 when Russia launched a full-scale invasion from Russian and Belarusian territory into northern, eastern, and southern Ukraine, resulting in mass displacement within Ukraine and abroad, mostly to the EU.

As at 12 September 2023, over 958,000 refugees from Ukraine had temporary protection status in Poland. The Polish Government granted these refugees access to social services and employment without a work permit. That said, the national response is insufficient to cover all the needs. Assistance from humanitarian NGOs supplement the response. Cash assistance is the highest need. Refugees from Ukraine also require continued protection and education assistance, particularly as most are women and children.

For a regional overview of the legal situation of refugees from Ukraine and access to essential services, please read our latest report.

(Atlantic Council 14/02/2023, Gov’t of Poland 12/09/2023, UNHCR accessed 12/09/2023, UNHCR 23/02/2023, IOM 29/08/2023)

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Latest updates on country situation

12 June 2023

Approximately 140 of the 3,000 children displaced to Poland from Ukrainian foster care institutions returned to Ukraine at the request of the Ukrainian regional administration, some to the oblasts that continue to experience shelling. New orphanages are being built in Ukraine to accommodate another 1,000 children. NGOs have raised concerns over the lack of assessment of the best interests of returning children and have appealed for placing them in family-based care. Although family-based and small-group care has been proven to foster children’s development, Polish law prevents refugee children who arrived with guardians from being placed in family-based care The Government of Ukraine has also requested for groups of children, even large ones, to not be split. (STC 15/05/2023,
Interia 09/09/2022,
(KII 07/06/2023))

05 June 2023

Between late February and late April 2023, 15,000 Ukrainian refugees in Poland left collective centres. It can be assumed that this is a result of the introduction of a new scheme in March 2023 requiring refugees to cover 50% of their subsistence (approximately USD 10 per day) 120 days after their arrival and 75% (approximately USD 15 per day) after 60 more days (a total of 180 days since their arrival). For some refugees, cash support is insufficient, affecting their access to housing. (ISAP 12/03/2022, RMF24 30/03/2023, Radio Opole 29/04/2023, UNHCR 20/01/2023, PCPM 18/01/2023)

current crises
in Poland

These crises have been identified through the INFORM Severity Index, a tool for measuring and comparing the severity of humanitarian crises globally.

Read more about the Index

POL002 - Displacement from Ukraine conflict

Last updated 23/08/2023

Drivers

Displacement
Conflict

Crisis level

Country

Severity level

2.4 Medium

Access constraints

1.0

Analysis products
on Poland

Ukraine: regional overview of Ukrainian refugees in host countries

05 September 2023

Ukraine: regional overview of Ukrainian refugees in host countries

DOCUMENT / PDF / 2 MB

This report provides an overview of the situation of refugees from Ukraine in six host countries: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia. The report aims to compare the scale of displacement in each country and their response capacity.

UkraineDisplacement

Attached resources

AudioLISTEN TO THIS REPORT
Migration crisis on the Poland-Belarus border

01 July 2022

Migration crisis on the Poland-Belarus border

DOCUMENT / PDF / 330 KB

This report outlines the living conditions and needs of migrants and asylum seekers stranded in the Poland-Belarus border area as a result of a political crisis and migration policies. It is an update of a similar ACAPS report published in December 2021.

Mixed migration
Poland: Refugee influx from Ukraine

25 May 2022

Poland: Refugee influx from Ukraine

DOCUMENT / PDF / 1 MB

Approximately 3.5 million people have arrived in Poland from Ukraine since 24 February 2022. This number corresponds to roughly 53% of the 6.5 million people who have fled Ukraine because of the war. Although many Ukrainians choose Poland, it is uncertain how many migrants and refugees intend to stay in Poland and how many have already moved to other locations.

Mixed migration
Migration crisis on the Belarus-Poland border

02 December 2021

Migration crisis on the Belarus-Poland border

DOCUMENT / PDF / 610 KB

Thousands of migrants have been arriving to the Belarusian border since July 2021. As at 13 November, an estimated 20,000 migrants and asylum seekers are present in Belarus. At least 5,000 people are stuck on the Poland-Belarus border without adequate access to services or assistance. 

Mixed migration
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