The Ukrainian teen convicted for attempted murder of a 12-year-old girl in Poland will serve the sentence he was handed down last June: 11 years.
Poland’s Court of Appeal in Rzeszów upheld the 11-year prison sentence for Kyrylo H. after the defendant’s defense attorney filed an appeal against the first-instance court’s ruling.
As recounted by Polish Radio Rzeszów, a 16-year-old Ukrainian citizen stabbed the Ukrainian girl woman several times in the head and neck area. The attack resulted in the victim requiring extensive surgery and losing sight in her left eye.
The incident took place on Nov. 13, 2023, in Rzeszów’s Baranówka district. The young girl managed to call her mother, who then called the police, who took Kyrylo H. into custody after a raid.
The Ukrainian perpetrator is also prohibited from approaching the victim within 50 meters for eight years. He must also pay compensation of PLN 60,000. The judgment is now final.
Poland has become home to some 1 million refugees from the ongoing war in Ukraine, with many in Poland now questioning the ongoing aid and benefits. Last year, President Nawrocki vetoed a bill he felt resulted in Ukrainians being treated better than Poles in need. “The 800+ benefit should only be granted to Ukrainians who make the effort to work. The same applies to healthcare,” he noted at the time.
Remix News reported last October that both Poland and Germany (where many refugees continue on to) are growing weary of the stream of Ukrainians entering their countries in need of aid. Surveys have mirrored this sentiment, with one Bild survey indicating that only 17 percent of respondents wanted to finance benefits. Estimates as of late 2025 claim Germany has provided more than €36.5 billion in support for Ukrainians fleeing the war.
Over in Poland, the total cost of free assistance for Ukrainians, including training, logistics, repairs, and medical support, exceeded $4 billion by March 2025. In 2022, it reached $1.6 billion, and in 2023-2024, $1.3 billion. Poland has also donated over 19,500 Starlink terminals to the front.
In total, aid for Ukraine represented 3.83 percent of Poland’s GDP.
In the meantime, headlines have captured an increasing number of crimes committed by Ukrainians across Europe, from organ trafficking to human smuggling and bomb threats. As far away as India, a group of Ukrainians was just recently arrested on suspicion of assisting terrorist insurgents with drone technology.
As of early 2026, Polish support for accepting Ukrainian refugees has dropped to its lowest level since 2014, with 48% supporting acceptance and 46% opposing it, notes CBOS. Still, for this Ukrainians willing to integrate, work and pay taxes — and follow the law — a majority of Poles support accepting Ukrainians into their society.
