By Olha Hembik | 2025-09-03

WARSAW -- Voices rose over Warsaw's Castle Square on August 24 as Poles and Ukrainians belted out two anthems, a defiant chorus against Russia's war.

On Ukraine's Independence Day, Poles honored their own citizens who have become unlikely champions of Ukraine's survival -- theater directors, bankers, filmmakers, even writers -- recognized with the Stand with Ukraine Award for turning solidarity into action.

"We meet on this square today, just as we did in 2022, 2023 and 2024,” said organizer Jacek Wiśniewski, addressing the crowd. "This gathering is proof of the enduring friendship between Poles and Ukrainians."

The ceremony, organized by the Stand with Ukraine Foundation and Euromaidan-Warsaw, is a symbol of both remembrance and resistance: an evening of gratitude, defiance against Russian aggression and recognition of those strengthening ties between the two nations.

Since the awards launched three years ago, 14 Polish figures have been honored. Past recipients include social activist Jolanta Kwaśniewska, whose foundation gave about $50 million in aid to refugees; writer Sławomir Sierakowski, who raised funds for a Bayraktar drone; tennis star Iga Świątek, who organized a charity match; and paramedic Damian Duda, who treats Ukrainian troops on the battlefield.

"The Stand with Ukraine Award annually honors those who contribute to our country's victory, its integration into the EU and NATO, and the strengthening of Polish-Ukrainian relations," the organizers have said.

The recognition is set against the backdrop of Poland's significant role in Ukraine's defense. Since the full-scale invasion began, Warsaw has provided 15 billion zlotys ($3.6 billion) in military aid, including more than 350 tanks and repeated ammunition packages worth up to €240 million each.

That support goes beyond governments. Natalia Panchenko, head of Euromaidan-Warsaw, stressed the ceremony reflects the consistency of Polish solidarity.

"From humanitarian aid to social initiatives, and even Poles serving on the front lines as volunteers, doctors and soldiers -- all of this needs to be celebrated," she told Kontur.

Stories of support

Beata Bierońska-Lach, director and co-founder of the UKRAINA! Film Festival in Warsaw, was the first to receive the award. Since 2016, the festival has drawn about 10,000 viewers and screened 300 films, from features to shorts.

The festival mirrors Poland's drive to protect Ukraine's heritage, including sheltering works from Kyiv's Khanenko Museum after a Russian strike in 2022.

Ukrainians nominated Bierońska-Lach through the Stand with Ukraine website, which accepted candidates in six categories ranging from culture to sports. Supporters credited her with introducing Polish audiences to Ukrainian filmmakers and creating a key space for cultural solidarity.

A committee led by former Ukrainian Ambassador Andrii Deshchytsia, actress Rimma Zyubina and chaplain Sergey Dmitriev chose the winners.

Bierońska-Lach said she once thought the festival would be a one-time screening in Warsaw, but it now runs in 13 Polish cities. She admitted questioning its relevance during the war, but called the films a reminder "that it must support Ukrainians in their struggle and aid the defense forces."

Bierońska-Lach said the 10th annual UKRAINA! Film Festival will run November 3-11 and feature 160 films.

"Every year, wonderful creative people from Ukraine -- directors, actors, producers -- visit us," she noted.

The next award went to Krzysztof Głuchowski, director of Krakow's Juliusz Słowacki Theater. Since 2022, the theater has sheltered and assisted 70,000 Ukrainian refugees and, as early as 2018, introduced performances with Ukrainian subtitles.

In June, vandals tore down a Ukrainian flag from the theater's facade, prompting threats against Głuchowski. He moved the flag indoors for safety, writing on Facebook that the theater would remain "a place of solidarity, freedom, openness and sensitivity to the vulnerable and those in need."

The perpetrators were detained. At the ceremony, Głuchowski said Ukrainians, not Poles, deserved gratitude for resisting Russian aggression.

"There is no free Europe, no free Poland, without a free Ukraine," he said, vowing the flag would return to the theater's façade.

Champions of compassion

Another award went to Polish economist Jakub Karnowski, chairman of KredoBank in Lviv, a subsidiary of PKO Bank Polski.

"From an economic point of view, Poland needs Ukraine, and Ukraine needs Poland," Karnowski said. "In 1991, both countries had similar GDPs, so Ukraine has every chance to achieve the same economic takeoff as Poland soon. We in the European Union need the Ukrainian economy."

He also praised Ukraine's military resilience, saying it had exposed Russia's weakness and reliance on nuclear blackmail.

"Ukraine needs NATO, but at the same time, NATO, which Poland is part of, needs Ukraine," he said.

Beyond finance and security, Karnowski works on planning for the future. As chair of the Student Association for Ukraine's Recovery at the Warsaw School of Economics, he said he and his students are already thinking about how to rebuild the country.

Polish writer Wojciech Tochman was also honored with the award. Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, Tochman has raised funds to support war-affected people and animals.

He has collected over €140,000 and now sponsors one of the largest animal shelters in Fedorivka, a village in the Kyiv region. The facility provides refuge for about 4,000 dogs and cats.

Tochman personally delivers food and medicine to frequently bombarded cities like Kharkiv and Kupiansk, showing a hands-on commitment to the cause.

Legacy

"Poland and the Poles showed their most compassionate face, full of sympathy and empathy, when they accepted refugees from the war in Ukraine after the Russian aggression began," said Agnieszka Holland, a Polish director, screenwriter and president of the European Film Academy.

She was the fifth recipient of the 2025 Stand with Ukraine Award and warned that "war fatigue" is being fueled by Russian efforts to drive a wedge between Poles and Ukrainians.

"These influences come from the armed forces of the Russian Federation," Holland explained. "[President Vladimir] Putin and his people are doing everything to make us quarrel. Some, due to stupidity, anger or because they are agents of Russian influence, fan the flames of hatred."

She cautioned that giving in would mean losing "our humanity, dignity and our future."