Warsaw police said the man was taken into custody, with further investigative steps planned for Wednesday. He could face up to three years in prison if formally charged.
Videos posted online showed the man striking a car believed to belong to a Ukrainian resident while carrying a telescopic baton, hurling threats and insults. In one recording, he can be heard shouting that Poles have grown tired of Ukrainians, using derogatory slurs and accusing them of violence against Poles.
The footage was filmed by Ivan, a 25-year-old Ukrainian who has lived in Lesznowola for two years and told the news outlet wp.pl that a friend was riding in the car targeted in the attack.
Ivan said other Ukrainians living nearby also feared the same neighbor, whom he accused of repeated harassment, and that he worried in particular for his partner, who commutes home at night from a job at a local warehouse.
The case comes amid a decline in reported crimes against Ukrainians in Poland. Police data show 5,130 such incidents recorded by early June 2026, compared with 10,620 for all of 2025, 10,595 in 2024, and just over 11,000 in 2023.
(jh)
Source: PAP