A Deeper Ill-Fated Connection with Russia
[Asia Economy Reporter Yu Je-hoon] On the 22nd (local time), The New York Times (NYT) reported that Poland has become the largest host country for Ukrainian refugees in Europe. This is a measure that transcends the historical animosity accumulated around World War II.
According to the report, Poland is currently hosting about 2 million Ukrainian refugees. This makes Poland the largest host country for Ukrainian refugees in Europe, surpassing Germany, which has taken in about 1 million refugees. Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, Poland has hosted about 9.8 million refugees, but many of them travel back and forth within Ukraine, and some have moved on to other countries via Poland.
Poland, which has undergone several partitions and independence struggles amid neighboring powers including Ukraine, was not a country favorable to accepting refugees. In 2015, it also experienced internal conflicts over accepting other refugee groups.
Nevertheless, NYT explained that Poles have taken in Ukrainians because Russia is also a major adversary for Poland. In 1939, Poland was divided and disappeared due to an agreement between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, but regained independence with World War II. Since then, it has been heavily influenced by the Soviet-led communist regime.
NYT introduced the changed face of Poland through the example of the southwestern city of Wrocław. Before the war, this city had a population of 640,000, and currently about 250,000 Ukrainians are staying there. This city was a place where many people expelled from Ukraine during World War II settled, and there was strong resentment about this, but a welcoming atmosphere continues with about 4,000 volunteers helping refugees.
Of course, the atmosphere in Poland is not entirely friendly, but so far, resistance does not seem to be growing significantly. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki recently stated in an interview, "Some far-right groups tried to stir hostility between Poles and Ukrainians, but they failed."
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