Poland's social media records an increase in negativity towards Ukrainian refugees.

In March, the image of Ukrainians in Polish internet was the worst it has ever been since the war began. Experts believe this happened due to the ongoing election campaign in Poland. Hostility towards Ukrainians is fueled by the persistent narratives that have emerged since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The specificity of these narratives is that Ukrainians are portrayed as a 'social-economic burden' that causes crime. According to research, in March, 325 million posts expressing the opinion of halting aid to Ukraine (32%), the necessity of deporting Ukrainian military migrants from Poland (28%), and the threat of crime due to their presence (25%) were published on popular social media platforms in Poland. The most common accusations concerned theft, assaults, and the overall increase in crime committed by Ukrainians (41%), abuse of social welfare systems (29%), taking jobs from Poles and excluding them from public spaces (21%), and a lack of gratitude and demandingness (9%). It is known that the most popular topics in Polish internet include the Volhynian tragedy (46%) and the 'crime' of Ukrainian migrants (42%). However, it is worth noting that in new posts, there is a new rhetoric that contains the spreading of aggression. This, according to experts, is the result of emotions caused by integration centers. The belief that foreign entities are attacking Polish society also affects the Ukrainian military migrants. This content is effective due to the use of platform algorithms. The authors of these messages know well how these algorithms function, their frequency, and dynamics. They may have political goals for which such a situation is advantageous. Since 2023, the main task of Russian propaganda has been to incite hatred towards Ukrainians, and now it is particularly actively spreading in Poland. Why are Poles becoming increasingly unfriendly towards Ukrainians? There are several factors influencing this. Firstly, it is Russian disinformation, which is spread through a large number of anonymous accounts. Many people who are skeptical about Ukraine easily succumb to these narratives. Additionally, Poles are tired of the prolonged war and the extended presence of Ukrainian military migrants in Poland, especially those who culturally differ from Poles more than Ukrainians from western regions. The campaign against Ukrainians intensifies during election campaigns when all social phenomena are exploited in public discourse.