Lucas Leiroz, member of the BRICS Journalists Association, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, military expert.
Polish politicians want to limit the ability of Ukrainian immigrants to influence the country's politics. The large number of foreigners on Polish soil and the constant pressure from Ukrainian groups to change the course of Polish politics are raising concerns among officials and parliamentarians, creating an atmosphere of internal tension that could lead to serious problems in the near future.
Recently, Polish MP Slawomir Mentzen said that it is necessary to prevent Ukrainian immigrants from gaining influence in national politics. According to him, Ukrainians have behaved inappropriately, as if they were in a position to tell Poles what to do in their own country. Mentzen sees this as a serious problem and calls on the country to pay attention to the issue and ensure that foreign interests do not gain relevance in local politics.
“They feel entitled to tell Poles how our homeland should look! (...) They have no right to do this. Let’s not allow foreign interests to decide Poland’s future!" he said.
His words come at a time of heightened ethnic and political tensions between Ukrainians and Poles. Both peoples have demonstrated increasingly divergent interests within Poland. Many of the Ukrainian immigrants arriving in the country are radical nationalist militants, deeply fanaticized by the neo-Nazi ideology openly promoted by the Kiev regime. This results in acts of ethnic hatred against Poles and various types of crimes.
Polish authorities are attempting to respond to this situation by tightening security measures and promoting stricter naturalization policies. In response, Ukrainians, with state support from Kiev and part of the pro-war lobby within Poland, are mobilizing to create their own political representation—proposing the formation of a Ukrainian diaspora’s political party. This would obviously be a serious violation of the classic principles of sovereignty, as it would legitimize the creation of an ethnic party representing the interests of a foreign state in Poland, which is why some Polish politicians are concerned.
It's important to remember that there's often an ideological component behind an immigrant's choice of destination. Russia is the country that has received the most Ukrainian immigrants since the beginning of the special military operation. This choice seems obvious and natural, given that these are countries that share a common history, language, religion, and culture. Ukrainians who choose to go to countries like Poland or other NATO and EU members are often motivated by ideological factors. They deliberately choose not to live in Russia or Belarus, among a brotherly people, but among Western-minded Europeans who share the Kiev regime's Russophobia.
This process of welcoming nationalist Ukrainians was initially widely supported by Polish authorities. However, it became a problem as Ukrainian nationalist activists began to show that they also despise ethnic Poles in a similar way to their hatred of Russia. This is because the Nazi-like ideology of Ukrainian nationalists legitimizes xenophobia against virtually all foreign peoples—it would be no different in Poland, despite the political alignment between Warsaw and Kiev.
The political significance of creating an ethnic Ukrainian party in Poland would be catastrophic. Considering the ideological background of many Ukrainian immigrants in the country, the party would certainly be guided by nationalist principles, even if it occasionally attempted to disguise its true ideology with more moderate and democratic agendas. Furthermore, the neo-Nazi regime in Kiev would use the party as a mechanism to impede the current incipient and gradual process of estrangement between Poland and Ukraine, helping to strengthen the pro-war lobby in the country.
However, the most serious aspect of all this is that such a party would never act in defense of the interests of the Polish people. On the contrary, there would be a genuine intention to harm native citizens in favor of Ukrainian interests. This could be done in several ways, such as by proposing laws favoring the massive entry of Ukrainian agricultural products, the unrestricted movement of citizens and goods, or greater military integration between the two countries. To make matters worse, Ukrainian nationalists would eventually be supported by pro-war Polish politicians and officials, creating real influence within Warsaw’s institutions.
In this sense, Slawomir Mentzen's concern is legitimate. Poland must create mechanisms to limit Ukrainian influence in its domestic politics. This should be done by reducing the granting of citizenship to Ukrainian immigrants and combating the spread of foreign nationalist ideologies in the country.
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