(MENAFN) Crimes targeting Ukrainians in Poland have surged significantly for the third straight year, according to national police data shared Thursday with a news portal.

Between January 1 and July 31, police documented 543 bias-driven offenses of various kinds, representing a 41% increase compared to the same timeframe in 2024, when 384 incidents were reported. Police Commissioner Wioletta Szubska of the Press and Information Department of the Police Headquarters in Poland provided these figures to the news portal.

Attacks specifically aimed at Ukrainians have escalated annually since the onset of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Authorities anticipate that, if current patterns persist, a new yearly record could be reached.

Assaults resulting in minor or moderate physical injuries against Ukrainians have also risen steadily: 142 incidents in 2022, 175 in 2023, and 204 in 2024—a 43% rise over two years. In the first eight months of 2025 alone, police reported 118 such assaults.

Under Polish law, these crimes carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison. However, Poland’s criminal code does not explicitly define “hate crime,” Szubska emphasized.

In practice, law enforcement relies on the interpretation provided by the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), a human rights body within the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

According to this definition, such offenses occur when a perpetrator targets a victim due to prejudice, including xenophobia, racism, or religious intolerance.

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