Nearly 2 million people have fled the Russian invasion of Ukraine to Poland, but for non-Ukrainians, the reception can be uncertain
Down an unassuming street on the outskirts of Warsaw, among a series of warehouses, a hostel has been set up to host non-Ukrainian refugees among the nearly two million who have fled to Poland since the Russian invasion. In the entrance hallway is a poster with messages from recent Afghan guests: “Thank you to Poland,” reads one.
“People don’t think about the fact that there are non-Ukrainian refugees from Ukraine and there are for sure some people who are afraid,” said Marianna Ossolińska, who is managing the hostel, an initiative of the Club of Catholic Intelligentsia.
