Ukrainians in Poland unsure about future as peace, rebuilding plans hang in balance

Refugees fleeing conflict-ravaged Ukraine to neighboring Poland express uncertainty about returning home, grappling with doubts about peace prospects and the daunting task of rebuilding their lives in their war-torn country.

Poland currently hosts nearly 1 million Ukrainian refugees under EU protection, representing one of the largest refugee populations in Europe.

Among the country’s institutes that offer help to Ukrainian refugees is the Warsaw-based NGO Ukrainian Home, where refugees can seek legal guidance and assistance with daily life.

Speaking to China Global Television Network (CGTN), Michal, a 65-year-old refugee who was a pensioner in Ukraine, said his wife has found a job in Poland and now they earn higher income.

“For me it was very hard in Ukraine. The pension was around 60 U.S. dollars. And here, my wife works, and she earns over 1,100 U.S. dollars per month,” he said.

The NGO workers said they think some of the Ukrainian refugees may choose to stay in Poland and their future depends on whether they will be able to integrate into the Polish society.

“I think that people who [are] not integrated here in Poland for now, they [are] waiting to come back to Ukraine. And people who found already a good paid job, their children go to a school, are integrated in schools, they plan to go to universities, I think they will be staying here in Poland,” said Tetiana Czuchrienko-Lipnitska, deputy coordinator at NGO Ukrainian Home.

In the Polish city of Poznan, Nonna Pandakowa, a 63-year-old decorative fabric designer who fled to Poland when the conflict in Ukraine started, said the years-long fightings have brought wide-spread changes to Ukraine and she was unsure about returning to home country after having built a secure life in Poland.

“Basically, a lot of things have changed in Ukraine and I can’t give such an answer right away as to where I’ll go. Well, to be honest, I feel comfortable in Poland now, that’s a fact, of course. I never planned to live somewhere abroad, although there were all sorts of opportunities,” she said.

Both Russian and Ukrainian forces reported conducting major military operations, including airstrikes and drone attacks, as hostilities continued along multiple fronts over the past 24 hours.

On Saturday, Russia’s Ministry of Defense announced that its troops had captured another settlement in Donetsk region. The assault unit of the 36th Separate Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade under the Eastern Group of Forces secured the area, the fifth settlement reportedly taken in one week.

Russia also claimed to have struck targets, including ammunition and supply depots, long-range drone production and assembly sites, and unmanned boat storage facilities in 142 Ukrainian areas. Russian air defenses reportedly downed six guided aerial bombs and 252 drones over the same period.

Meanwhile, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that Ukrainian military intelligence, in coordination with other branches, executed airstrikes on Russian military warehouses. They targeted a logistics hub in Russia’s Bryansk Oblast, saying it was destroyed.

Ukraine’s Security Service also revealed that drone attacks were carried out on the Kirovske military airfield in Crimea during Friday night to Saturday morning. The strike reportedly destroyed a Russian “Pantsir” air defense system and three helicopters stationed at the site.