Polish resentment over Ukrainians’ refusal to enlist

By Jo Harper

WARSAW (AA) - Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz expressed concern on Monday about the low number of young Ukrainians in Poland who have signed up for military training, calling it "worrying" and a source of "resentment."

“The sight of young Ukrainian men in the most modern cars or five-star hotels arouses emotions and justified opposition from Ukrainians who are fighting for their homeland, but also from Poles who spend billions on aid,” Kosiniak-Kamysz told reporters in Krakow.

When asked about a Financial Times report on the growing number of desertions by Ukrainians, including those trained in Poland, the minister commented: “The scale of desertion is small, negligible. The phenomenon exists, but it does not threaten the training process in any way. I think the situation is much more difficult in Ukraine itself.”

Kosiniak-Kamysz also acknowledged that Poles are feeling the effects of war fatigue. “I remember the first days after the outbreak of the war. Open hearts, homes. Today, there are more and more questions in this area. Conflict fatigue is much greater now,” he said.

The minister pointed out that Poland remains one of the main countries involved in training Ukrainian soldiers on its soil, with about one-third of all trained soldiers—approximately 26,000 Ukrainians—having received their training in Poland.

In July, Kyiv and Warsaw agreed to form and jointly train a new army brigade in Poland, aiming to boost recruitment among Ukrainian men living in Poland and other EU countries.

Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians enlisted in the country’s armed forces in the first months of 2022, but this number has since declined.

The BBC estimated in November 2023 that 650,000 military-age Ukrainian men had left for the EU since the war began.

Since the start of the invasion in 2022, Poland has trained over 20,000 Ukrainian soldiers.