'Go back to Ukraine': War refugees complain of abuse in Poland

Svitlana says her daughter loved her school in Poland.

"Even when we moved to another area, she didn't want to change schools," says the 31-year-old Ukrainian mother. "She liked it so much. There was no bullying."

Now she says the atmosphere at the school – and in Poland overall – has changed.

"Two weeks ago, she came home and said "One boy said to me today, 'Go back to Ukraine'." Svitlana was astonished.

She is one of dozens of Ukrainians living in Poland who have told the BBC that anti-Ukrainian sentiment has risen considerably in recent months.

Many described experiencing abuse on public transport, bullying in schools and xenophobic material online.

A polarising presidential election campaign has added to the tension, with the first round of voting taking place on Sunday.

The day after Svitlana's daughter was told to go back to Ukraine, the abuse became even worse.

"Girls from the class above started complaining about her speaking Ukrainian. Then they pretended to fall to the ground shouting 'Missile! Get down!' and laughing," Svitlana says. "She came home crying."

A Russian missile had slammed into Svitlana's hometown in Ukraine days before, killing scores of civilians, including children. Her daughter was traumatised.

Svitlana – not her real name did not want to be identified as she fears reprisals. She showed us screenshots of messages with school staff where she complains about her daughter's treatment.

She said she had noticed attitudes changing towards Ukrainians in other places, too: "At work, many people have been saying Ukrainians come here and behave badly. And my Ukrainian friends say they want to go home because Polish people don't accept us. It's frightening to live here now."

According to government statistics, at least 2.5 million Ukrainians live in Poland, comprising almost 7% of the total population of Poland.

When the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, there was an outpouring of comion from Poles. "It was amazing. Every day people were calling, asking, 'How can we help":[]}