Igor Horków, chairman of the Przemyśl branch of the Association of Ukrainians in Poland, which runs two hostels for refugees, said that his organization had noted a spike in inquiries from Ukrainians asking for help.
Ukraine’s forces are under pressure from a grinding Russian offensive in the east, while Russia has intensified its aerial bombardment of the country, targeting energy infrastructure in particular, which has led to widespread power cuts.
“The situation is tragic. We expect an increased influx of refugees, although not as much as in February and March 2022," said Horków. “We have a lot of calls asking if we will help, if we have a place. Currently, train tickets to Przemyśl are sold out two to three weeks in advance. And you can't get there by bus from every place in Ukraine.”
Czesław Mroczek, deputy minister of the Ministry of Interior and Administration, said on Tuesday that a new wave of Ukrainian refugees in Poland could be expected.
“Of course, we are taking such a scenario into account, especially looking at what has been happening in Ukraine in recent days,” Mroczek said.
Loss of basic amenities
“According to Ukrainian media, another 500,000 citizens have left Ukraine recently. There is no electricity, no water, no heat in the whole of Odessa,” Mirosław Skórka, president of the Union of Ukrainians in Poland, said.
“The situation is unpredictable, but we must expect that more people will be forced to leave their homes to survive the autumn and winter somewhere in Poland or Europe. How many? We have no idea,” Skórka added.
Maria Janyska, a member of the ruling Civic Coalition and head of the Polish parliament’s Internal Affairs and Administration Committee, said the possibility of a large influx of refugees from Ukraine has been increased by U.S. President Joe Biden’s decision on Sunday to allow Ukraine to use long-range missiles on Russian territory.
“We have difficult times ahead of us. We must strengthen our borders and closely observe the development of events. Poland must take care of those fleeing the war. We will grant aid depending on the needs,” Janyska said.
Poland has been a leader in aid for Ukraine since the beginning of the war. The Polish President’s Office announced last week that “Poland has earmarked 4.91% of its GDP for this assistance, with 0.71% of GDP allocated to support Ukraine and 4.2% of GDP dedicated to the cost of assisting Ukrainian refugees,” the Chancellery wrote on X.
