Poland has established specialised prosecution teams to investigate hate crimes motivated by nationality amid growing concern over attacks targeting Ukrainians and other foreign nationals, Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek said.
According to TVP Info, more than 100 prosecutors have undergone specialised training and are now handling nationality-based hate crime cases across the country, Żurek said. Three additional prosecutors have also been assigned to the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Warsaw, where authorities have received a particularly high number of reports.
Speaking to TVP Info, the minister said the Justice Ministry had been preparing for an increase in such offences after observing what he described as a rising wave of hatred over recent months, affecting not only Ukrainians but other national groups as well.
Żurek said internal analyses had shown that although many incidents were being reported, relatively few cases had previously reached court, with most investigations being discontinued.
"That was one of the prosecution service's weaknesses. That is why we created these teams. In a very short time, we have already brought more than 280 indictments before the courts, so these structural changes are proving effective," he said.
He added that cooperation between prosecutors and the police had improved significantly, resulting in faster investigations and arrests.
"One day an incident occurs, the next day the suspect is already in custody, and shortly afterwards the indictment is before the court. I will continue to monitor the work of these prosecution teams," Żurek said.
The announcement comes amid heightened public attention to nationality-based attacks in Poland, including several recent incidents involving Ukrainian nationals.
According to Poland's National Police Headquarters, Ukrainian nationals were victims of crime 5,130 times by the beginning of June 2026. The annual totals were 10,620 cases in 2025, 10,595 in 2024 and just over 11,000 in 2023.
By Aghakazim Guliyev
