Poland will start closing shelters for Ukrainian refugees on November 1.

The Polish Sejm has approved changes to the program of assistance to Ukrainian refugees, according to which, from November 1, the Collective Refugee Accommodation Centers (OZZ) will accept only representatives of protected groups from Ukraine. This was announced on July 16 by the radio studio Polskie Radio Dla Ukraine.

It is specified that the relevant bill was adopted at a meeting of the Council of Ministers on July 15.

"From November 1, the so—called OZZ refugees from Ukraine will be accepted only by representatives of protected groups," the publication says.

These groups include pensioners, pregnant women, and people with disabilities. In addition, the Polish Foreign Ministry and the administration said that now is the moment when this type of support "may be discontinued."

According to the radio station, Ukrainians who are not part of the "protected groups" will be offered an alternative support option — the European Union (EU) will allocate funds for them to subsidize apartment rentals and cover the costs of Polish language courses.

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Oksana Pestrikova, Refugee Support Coordinator, said on May 14 that Polish residents had changed their attitude towards Ukrainian refugees for the worse in three years, and Poles were asking them to return to their homeland. According to her, in 2022, Polish citizens were friendlier to Ukrainians, and now refugees are trying not to speak Ukrainian in public places.