Paper short abstract:

This paper will analyze the solidarity networks that made the Polish humanitarian response to the current Russian invasion of Ukraine possible.

Paper long abstract:

In the earliest stages of the war, at least 70% of Polish residents contributed to the aid effort. It is estimated that the value of aid provided by families in Poland reached €2 billion. This wave of support and solidarity received high appraisal both internally and externally, with Polish people being celebrated for their solidarity and self-organization skills. At the same time, the crisis brought questions about the motivations of humanitarian compassion: what triggers the need to help, and what context facilitates effective assistance?

This paper will deal with those questions by contextualizing the Polish response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine in the long history of Polish humanitarianism and Polish-Ukrainian-Russian relations.