A shift in Poland’s Ukraine policy: Planning for the long-term
Significant changes have taken place both in the status of Ukrainian refugees and in defense planning. It appears that the Polish state now views Russia as a long-term security threat.
On February 19, the Polish president Karol Nawrocki signed the law that formally terminates the special legal framework in place for Ukrainian refugees since 2022. This was the so-called “Special Assistance Act for Ukrainians,” which provided simplified residence, employment, and social rights for those fleeing the war. According to the report titled Polish President Signs New Law, the support measures will be transferred into the general legal framework of the Law on the Protection of Foreigners, meaning that Ukrainians will henceforth be subject to the same regulations as any other foreign nationals in the country.
The new legislation extends the legal stay of Ukrainian citizens in Poland until March 4, 2027, but also introduces a new requirement: refugees must apply for a PESEL personal identification number within 30 days, without which they may lose their temporary protection status.
The Polish president — who stated upon signing the law that this marks “the end of the period of unconditional privileges” — emphasized that the amendments “protect the state budget, simplify the system, and restore a sense of basic fairness.”
With this step, Poland — where nearly one million Ukrainian refugees were living in the summer of 2025 — is reshaping the special support system that had been in place since the outbreak of the war. The end of the special status does not automatically mean deportation, but it signals that the earlier, more easily accessible legal and administrative benefits are gradually being merged into the broader international protection framework.
At the same time, Poland’s defense policy is undergoing substantial transformation. In early February, the Polish defense minister announced that the government plans to create a 500,000-strong military force, incorporating professional soldiers, volunteer territorial defense units, and reservists. According to a report by teleSUR English, this would be a “high-readiness” military reserve force capable of rapid mobilization and crisis response.
This initiative — which also provides new training opportunities, expanded education programs, and increased volunteer involvement — is part of a broader defense development strategy aimed at bringing Poland’s armed forces to 500,000 personnel by 2039. Under the plan, reserve units would undergo regular annual training, and civilian expertise would also be integrated into the program, including cybersecurity, communications, and medical training.
Sources detailing the military transformation point out that Poland is not merely aiming for a numerical increase in troop levels, but for a more rapidly deployable and frequently exercised defense structure amid regional tensions and the broader security challenges of Eastern Europe. Taken together, the two developments — the termination of the special status for Ukrainian refugees and the military expansion — signal a strategic shift in Poland’s domestic and national security policy. The earlier humanitarian and ad hoc measures are gradually being replaced by long-term, institutionalized regulations and sustained military investment.
