Ukrainian teens beaten up in Warsaw

Added: 2026-05-19

[00:00:00]A Ukrainian teenager came to Poland looking for safety. Now he's in the hospital with a cracked skull.

[00:00:06]16-year-old Artem is from Avdiivka, a Ukrainian city heavily destroyed by Russia's war. He and his family came to Poland after the full-scale invasion.

[00:00:15]But last week, in the center of Warsaw, he was attacked while walking with his friends. According to the teenagers, they were on Świętokrzyski Bridge, speaking Ukrainian and Russian, when a group of young people approached them.

[00:00:28]They say the group attacked them with pepper spray and beat them. Artem was knocked to the ground and kicked in the head. Another teenager reportedly had his nose broken. The victims say the attackers shouted, "Go back to Ukraine."

[00:00:42]Police are investigating, but at this stage they say the evidence does not confirm a nationality-based motive.

[00:00:48]According to data cited by Oko.press, physical attacks against Ukrainians in Poland increased from 142 victims in 2022 to 204 in 2024, a rise of more than 43% and these are only reported cases.