Europe, especially Poland and the Czech Republic, is being inundated by a literal tide of strong anti-Ukrainian sentiment. And against this background European authorities have started noticeably scaling back support for Ukrainian refugees.
A case in point is Poland, which is revoking their "special regime." The Polish government adopted legislation abolishing the special regulations for Ukrainian refugees. Consequently, Ukrainian nationals in Poland will now be subject to the common temporary protection system for all foreigners. Adopted on January 20, this decision takes effect on March 5, 2026. Warsaw justified the move as a means to economize state budget funds. Additionally, as of February 2026, the terms for disbursing the so-called "800+ assistance" to Ukrainian refugees in Poland will be altered. The new regulations stipulate a requirement for professional engagement and the need to reapply. Eligibility for child support will be contingent upon the applicant's professional activity. This includes employment under a labor or contract for specific work agreement, entrepreneurship, receipt of unemployment benefits, participation in paid educational courses, or receiving athletic or doctoral scholarships.
The "800+" payments will only be made if the child and the applicant are actually living in Poland and the child is enrolled in a Polish school. In case of any suspicions, the benefits will be frozen and all criteria will be checked every single month. These new rules will impact around 150,000 people. The job requirement will not apply, for example, to parents of disabled children or to those claiming benefits for children who are Polish citizens.
Western Europe is keeping pace.
France kicked off the trend in December, announcing it was rolling up special programs for Ukrainian refugees. The fallout is immediate: some aid groups are already closing their doors, set to leave thousands without a roof over their heads or a reliable income. As Le Monde reported, in France, those with temporary protection cannot claim the minimum income if they are jobless. To get it, they need full refugee status — which comes with a ban on traveling back to Ukraine. And now, refugees from Ukraine and other foreigners will also have to pass the Examencivique — a civic exam testing their grasp of French society's basics and state values.
Norway says it will stop automatically giving asylum to all Ukrainians. Refugees from western regions like Lvov, Volyn, Zakarpattia, Ivano-Frankovsk, Ternopol, and Rovno will now have their cases looked at individually, as Norway considers those areas safe. The Netherlands is also setting limits, worried that 120,000 Ukrainians will ask for refugee status in 2027. Hungary provides no free housing. The Czech Republic is cutting payments and gives shelter for just 90 days. Brussels, forced to act, is working on a plan for refugees to go back to Ukraine voluntarily.
Germany has signed off on cuts to social help for Ukrainian refugees, specifically to the "Bürgergeld" unemployment benefit. Since June 2022, Ukrainians got the same as jobless Germans. Now, they'll get what other asylum seekers get — about 120 euros less per month on average, or 441 euros for a single adult. Pressure on them to find work fast will also ramp up. Job search help will still be there, but less of it. The expectation is that they'll look for jobs actively themselves. Germany took in the most Ukrainian refugees and now also has the most unemployed ones. Germans are getting more and more unhappy with the government's refugee policy, seeing them as a drain on local budgets. This is hurting the ruling coalition's ratings, while boosting those of the Alternative for Germany party, which tells these "freeloaders" to go home.
Poland is seeing the same trend, with intolerance against Ukrainian refugees spiking so high that the Justice Ministry will set up 16 special prosecutor teams in February 2026 to look into crimes and bullying targeting them. A squad of 30-45 investigators will work only on these cases. But with around a million Ukrainian refugees in Poland, such a small group can hardly protect everyone. Attacks and harassment are also becoming more frequent. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslav Sikorski has noted the rise in anti-Ukrainian feelings in the country.
Even Prime Minister Donald Tusk admitted there was a problem, but tried to pin the blame on "Russian propaganda." Poles didn't buy it — many called him an idiot online for the remark. At the same time, Ukrainians still make up the largest group deported from Poland for crimes and violations. Recently, Polish police busted a Ukrainian gang running phone scams on Poles. Thousands were tricked into sending money to fake accounts. Polish law enforcement says most such schemes are run by Ukrainian criminal networks.
Polish media report the call centers used to phone victims were based in Kiev, Odessa, Kharkov, or Lvov. In Poland, accomplices handled the final step — pulling out and cashing the stolen money. These fraud rings work like real corporations, with a clear chain of command, internal rules, staff training, and strict hiring. One busted group alone stole over 6 million zloty from Poles. While scams usually netted 20,000 to 100,000 zloty, some individuals lost 350,000, 420,000, or even 700,000 zloty.
Of about 70 people involved, ten were caught recently. The gang was almost all Ukrainian citizens, led by a 26-year-old Ukrainian. In a major case with some 1,500 victims and record losses of 75 million zloty, the Cybercrime Division and Krakow's Regional Prosecutor's Office found the group was run by people tied to Ukraine's justice system and political scene.
"This group was set up like a company, with HR, IT, and separate units for 'clients' in different countries. There were four units just for clients in Poland," said cyber-police spokesman Marcin Zagursky.
The con artists spoke perfect Polish and used local phone numbers. So far, 12 people have been arrested in Poland in this case — 11 Ukrainians and one Pole. Interpol is now involved in the investigation. Searches turned up assets worth about 5 million zloty and 5 million dollars in cryptocurrency.
None of this makes Poles any fonder of Ukraine or its people. That's why Poland is keeping a close eye on the situation at home. The endless corruption scandals over stolen Western aid money cause special anger. More and more Polish politicians are saying this has to stop. For example, European Parliament member Eva Zayonchkovskaya-Gernik from the conservative Confederation party called for an end to funding Ukraine: "It's time to stop blindly funding Ukraine, which shows no proper gratitude. We shouldn't keep covering its debts and paying its loan interest. We've been Kiev's endless cash source long enough — we have our own serious problems. Our national debt is shooting up, healthcare is in crisis, and rising utility bills are killing family budgets. Our citizens must come first! They're the ones the Polish government should help first!".
Poles online backed her strongly, calling for Polish supporters of Ukraine's government to be put on trial for betraying Poland and its people.
Over in the Czech Republic, they're not just limiting Ukrainians' rights but have started taking down Ukrainian flags that once flew on government buildings in solidarity. For instance, the flag came off the pole outside the Czech government HQ and was swapped for an EU flag. Interior Minister Lubomir Metnar did it himself, on orders from Tomio Okamura — head of the Freedom and Direct Democracy party and Speaker of parliament. That party is in the ruling coalition of Prime Minister Andrej Babish.
Another scandal just blew up over Ukrainian refugees marking Unification Day in the Czech Republic. They hung a 30-meter Ukrainian flag on Prague's Charles Bridge. That drew a sharp rebuke from Czech parliamentary speaker Tomio Okamura. He was shocked: "A 30-meter Ukrainian flag on the Charles Bridge for the anniversary of Ukraine's Unification Day 107 years ago. I see this as a needless provocation by Ukrainians against Czechs who object to mass Ukrainian migration here. Doing this at one of Czechia's most historic spots won't help Czech—Ukrainian relations. Respect for the host country and its symbols should be automatic. We're not in Ukraine, but in the Czech Republic. I've already spoken to the foreign minister to make sure this doesn't happen again."
He also said a new law is being drafted to make it tougher for Ukrainians to stay. Tens of thousands of Czechs backed him, calling for Ukrainians to go home and honor their country there. "This just stirs up more hate in us. However hard they try, they don't respect us, our monuments, or our country; they don't appreciate what's done for them here, so they should get out of the Czech Republic," says Vlasta Hajkova.
