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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.
A fundraising campaign in Poland has so far received over 3 million zloty (€710,000) in donations to help Ukrainians amid the current winter freeze and Russian attacks that have cut off electricity and heating. Ukraine’s foreign minister has thanked Poles for their “true solidarity and humanity”.
With temperatures dropping below 15°C (5°F) in many parts of Ukraine, people have been struggling to keep warm without power. President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of deliberately targeting heating and energy infrastructure to make civilians suffer.
People are setting up tents in their apartments, making improvised heaters from plastic bottles and hot water, and warming food by candlelight. This is the reality in Ukraine. It’s 3°F outside, and russian attacks continue.@CNN | @kimbrunhuber pic.twitter.com/f1x7CcYM4a
— Kira Rudik (@kiraincongress) January 18, 2026
Last week, the Warsaw-based Stand With Ukraine Foundation launched an online fundraiser to purchase power generators for the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. It initially aimed to raise 1 million zloty, but that target was met within three days.
The organisers have since then upped the goal to 2 million, 3 million and now 5 million zloty. As of Monday morning, just over 3 million zloty had been raised from over 25,000 donors, many also leaving messages of support.
“You will survive; you are not alone,” wrote one donor, Iwona. “Hold on, just a little longer, we are with you,” commented another, Justyna.
“The response of Poles has exceeded our expectations…Your solidarity is incredible,” wrote the organisers. “Thanks to your donations, we can do much more than we planned…This money will provide real warmth for people in Ukraine. We will buy more generators, sleeping bags, and fuel.”
They also announced that Polenergia, Poland’s largest private energy group, and the Kulczyk Foundation, a charitable organisation, have joined the initiative, donating 500,000 zloty to purchase generators.
Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, also expressed his country’s gratitude to Poles for their support.
“This is an expression of true solidarity, humanity, and sincere support at a time when warmth and light mean safety and life,” he wrote in Polish on social media. “We feel that we are not alone. Thank you, Poland, for such important help…in the darkest moments.”
Dla nas wszystkich wiadomości o zaangażowaniu naszych sąsiadów i przyjaciół z Polski w zbiórkę na generatory dla Ukrainy „Ciepło z Polski dla Kijowa” mają bardzo ważne znaczenie. Zwłaszcza teraz, w czasie mrozów i nieustającego rosyjskiego terroru rakietowego.
Jest to wyraz…
— Andrii Sybiha 🇺🇦 (@andrii_sybiha) January 19, 2026
In the aftermath of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Poland and its people provided enormous support to their eastern neighbours. Millions of Ukrainian refugees arrived in Poland, where many were hosted by Poles in their own homes. Huge amounts of aid were donated.
Almost a million Ukrainian refugees remain in Poland. However, public sentiment has recently been turning against them. A poll published this month by state research agency CBOS showed that the proportion of Poles opposed to accepting Ukrainian refugees has risen to 46%, the highest level ever recorded.
In September, a United Surveys poll for Wirtualna Polska found that 37% of Poles negatively view the presence of Ukrainians in Poland, up from 29.5% two years earlier.
Far-right political groups, such as Confederation (Konfederacja) and Confederation of the Polish Crown (KKP), have also been increasingly vocal in stirring opposition to the large-scale presence of Ukrainians in Poland and Poland’s financial and military support for Ukraine.
The proportion of Poles opposed to accepting Ukrainian refugees has reached its highest ever level of 46%, up from 3% in the wake of Russia's full-scale invasion.
Other recent surveys have also indicated declining sympathy towards Ukrainians among Poles https://t.co/DLPGY2ToZG
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) January 7, 2026
Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.
Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
