The Polish fundraising campaign “Heat from Poland for Kyiv” is breaking records. Within just a few days, Poles donated 5.5 million złoty (around 1.3 million euros) to be able to buy as many power generators as possible for the freezing people in Ukraine. The Polish energy sector has also already transferred considerable sums to the donation account.
What it means having to endure several days in a cold and dark apartmentOlder Poles in particular still know very well that while double-digit minus temperatures cause the pipes in the whole house to burst. During the period of real socialism (1945 to 1989), the dilapidated energy infrastructure repeatedly failed.
We feel that we are not alone
Andriy Sybiha, Ukrainian Foreign Minister
In Ukraine it is Vladimir Putin, the Russian ruler and aggressor, who attacked the Ukrainian Crimean peninsula in 2014 and has been systematically bombing the entire Ukraine since 2022. This is how he wants to force surrender. The solidarity help from Poland is accepted with great gratitude in Ukraine.
Thanks from the Ukrainian Foreign Minister
The large-scale Russian war of aggression against Ukraine began with the invasion on February 24, 2022. The annexation of Crimea took place in March 2014, and shortly afterwards the conflict broke out in the eastern Ukrainian regions.
Already on Monday, as deposits into the donation account increased hourly, Andriy Sybiha, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, wrote on the social media platform
The help, the minister continued in his post, is an expression of real solidarity, humanity and honest support in times when warmth and light meant security and life. “Many thanks to everyone with open hearts, to the volunteers and the organizations who initiated and supported the fundraising campaign. We feel that we are not alone,” continued Minister Sybiha. “We thank Poland for this very important help and for the warmth that will surround us in the darkest moments.”
The fundraiser “Heat from Poland for Kiev (Wärme aus Polen für Kyjiw)” has been running since January 16, 2026.
The aim of the campaign is as many generators and emergency generators as possible buy and deliver to Kyiv. These devices save lives. A generator makes it possible to heat the rooms where the elderly and children take refuge. It makes it possible to boil water. It provides light, which at least restores a sense of security in the reality of war. Over the course of 7 days, over 43,000 people have donated a total of more than 5.5 million zloty (approx. 1.3 million euros).
Anti-Ukrainian comments
However, most of the comments under this thank you post on X, written in Polish, are negative. That reflects reflects the mood in Poland. The Poles’ great willingness to help at the start of the war began to weaken just a year later and finally turned negative after two years. This goes back to the propaganda of right-wing parties, which repeatedly open up historical wounds remember Ukrainian war crimes in the Second World Warfor which Ukraine has allegedly not apologized enough.
The Polish crimes against Ukrainians are often left out. Instead, they claim that the Ukrainian refugees are taking jobs away from Poles, They are social parasites and take advantage of the Polish health system. The numbers speak a completely different language: The refugees usually do work that the Poles don’t particularly care about, pay taxes and social security contributions and generate around 3 percent of Poland’s gross domestic income every year.
President Nawrocki against Ukrainian refugees
Nevertheless, President Karol Nawrocki also wants to get rid of the refugees today rather than tomorrow and has already announced that he will veto the next law to extend the stay of Ukrainians in Poland. Against the daily flood of negative fake news from Russia does not reach Poland. It is unclear whether the government will even fight against it. But Russian bots are destroying the solidarity of Poles towards Ukrainians as well as social peace within Poland.
Polish civil society has stepped in with several foundations and associations to address the Polish state’s declining willingness to provide humanitarian assistance. This is what lies behind the big fundraising campaign “Heat from Poland for Kyiv” the Stand with Ukraine foundationwhich is directed by Natalia Panchenko. The Ukrainian, who also has Polish citizenship, has been committed to Ukraine for years from Poland.