Russia’s War Against Ukraine and Polish-Ukrainian Relations: How Outside Aggression Alters Mutual Perceptions

This paper examines the consequences of Russia’s war against Ukraine for Polish-Ukrainian relations with particular focus on the impact of frames of war on the Polish perception of Ukrainian national identity. The invasion of Ukraine by Russia has forced millions of people to seek refuge and safety abroad. Of all the world’s countries, Poland has hosted the largest number of war refugees from Ukraine (adding to the large Ukrainian diaspora of economic migrants already present), and this historic exodus of people has created long-term and far-reaching social, economic, and policy consequences for the country. Based on analyses of source materials, public polls, and press content, this paper discusses the relations between Poles and Ukrainians in a historical perspective – from the Spring of Nations through the First and Second World Wars and post-war order to the present. Frames forged by the historical memory of the two nations bore drastic differences, which became obscured at the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian War by a sense of kinship and shared experience in the face of a common enemy. However, as the war has dragged on, dormant resentments and stereotypes have begun to be revived, hindering the success of policies and measures to integrate refugees into their host communities. This paper will explain how the shifts in public attitudes towards Ukrainians reflect the lingering persistence of pre-existing frames, but also how they affect and are affected by perceptions of the war.