Russian fake news: Ukrainians in Poland are offered only low-skilled jobs

The Kremlin media and z-telegram channels are distributing a photo of an advertising booklet that calls on Ukrainians who have been forced to leave for Poland due to the war to attend a job fair, which is alleged to be held at the National Stadium in Warsaw.

The booklet offers such jobs as a cleaner, a housemaid, a dishwasher, a carer, a construction worker and a seasonal agricultural worker. In their posts, the propagandists write that supposedly Ukrainians in Poland can only find low-skilled and low-paid work.

This booklet is fake. Russian propagandists used Photoshop to fake an advertising booklet of the Polish department of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), whose employees were among the organizers of the job fair in Warsaw. The original booklet depicts a spectrum of professions from various fields, including office work, education, restaurant service, and welding.

The real job fair took place on May 16, 2023, while Russian propaganda changed the date on the fake booklet to September 10, 2023.

In addition, the job fair was organized not only for Ukrainians. Students, graduates of higher education institutions and everyone looking for a job were invited to attend. On the internet, you can find advertising booklets not only in Ukrainian, but also in Polish.

As of May 30, 2023, 78% of Ukrainians were employed in Poland, and 56% transferred money to Ukraine.

Ukrainian refugees not only find work in Poland, but also open their own businesses. According to the Polish Economic Institute (Polski Instytut Ekonomiczny – PIE), since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Ukrainians have created almost 30,000 enterprises in Poland. In 2022, almost one in ten businesses created in Poland was owned by a Ukrainian. The most popular industries include services, construction, trade, and IT.

Russian propaganda had earlier forged a campaign leaflet for Ukrainian refugees in Germany.

Andriy Olenin