PiS Demands Deportation of Unemployed Ukrainian Men as New Poll Shows Overwhelming Public Support

A new IBRiS poll reveals that 67.2 percent of respondents in Poland support deporting draft-age Ukrainian men without legal employment, echoing recent proposals from PiS leadership.

Public Support for Deportation

In an IBRiS poll conducted for “Rzeczpospolita”, respondents were asked if Poland should deport draft-age Ukrainian men who are not legally employed in the country. A total of 67.2 percent of respondents answered affirmatively, with 43.8 percent saying “definitely yes” and 23.4 percent saying “rather yes”. Meanwhile, 23.4 percent were opposed, and 9.4 percent had no opinion.

Among voters of the ruling camp, 52.3 percent supported the deportation of unemployed Ukrainian men of draft age, while 39.1 percent were against. Among opposition voters, support reached 78.2 percent, with only 11.7 percent opposed. By age group, support was lowest among 18-29 year-olds at 43 percent, and highest among those aged 50-59 at 80 percent and 60-69 at 79 percent. The poll was conducted on August 7-8 on a sample of 1,073 people using the CATI telephone method.

Employment Rates Among Ukrainians in Poland

Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration Maciej Duszczyk stated on TOK FM radio that an estimated 1.8 to 1.9 million Ukrainian citizens currently reside in Poland, maintaining an employment activity rate of about 95 percent. Duszczyk noted that the current deportation level is higher than under previous PiS governments, with approximately 10,000 people of various nationalities deported in 2025 compared to about 3,000 foreigners in 2023.

Duszczyk assessed that due to the high employment rate among draft-age Ukrainians, the group subject to deportation based solely on the employment criterion would be very small. He added that Ukrainian men also include wounded individuals who could not join the army due to their health status.

PiS Policy Proposal and Rationale

At the beginning of August during a PiS program convention, party authorities announced that winning the elections would prompt an immediate government decision to deport draft-age Ukrainian men who do not work legally in Poland. PiS Vice-President and MEP Tobiasz Bocheński stated that these men will have the opportunity to fight for their homeland to quickly end the horror of the war, with Poland providing decisive, categorical, and uncompromising assistance.