By Olha Hembik | 2025-11-05

WARSAW -- Polish citizens who don a Ukrainian military uniform to defend against Russian aggression may soon no longer need to worry about legal issues back home.

This year, Poland's Sejm, the lower house of parliament, is advancing a law decriminalizing volunteers who take up arms to protect Ukraine's freedom and independence. This initiative is tied to Poland's ongoing commitment to Ukraine, as Poles continue to stand with their neighbor three years after the full-scale Russian invasion.

A proposed bill would grant amnesty to Poles who have joined Ukraine's armed forces and define their legal status.

The measure would also let new volunteers enlist without approval from the Ministry of National Defense, Rzeczpospolita reported in September.

Currently, joining a foreign army without authorization carries a prison sentence of three months to five years.

Lawmakers said the bill is meant to shield Polish volunteers from prosecution, stressing that it "does not encourage" citizens to fight in Ukraine or make exceptions for doing so.

"Brothers and sisters of Poland, the war is closer than it seems... Be ready to defend your homeland. Glory to Ukraine! Poland has not perished yet," said 18-year-old Wojciech Antoni of Poznań, who appeared in a September 11 video on the X account of Ukraine's Foreign Recruitment Center dressed in a Ukrainian military uniform.

The Foreign Recruitment Center is an official Ukrainian government institution established to enlist foreign volunteers for service in various units of the Ukrainian military.

In the video, Antoni explained that he joined the 25th Airborne Brigade, with the goal of "serving its people, protecting its people from the Russian invaders, fighting the Russian invasion, and... fighting for Europe."

"It's very important for Poland that Ukraine fights against the Russians because we are next in line," he added.

Antoni has been in Ukraine for six months and stopped contacting his family in March 2025, when he was expected in Warsaw, prompting a police search, Onet reported.

Messages suggested he may have traveled to Lithuania or Ukraine.

Under the proposed law, Polish volunteers like Antoni would no longer need to conceal their plans or fear prosecution. The measure aligns with Poland’s broader defense efforts, including plans to offer military training to 100,000 adults annually to strengthen readiness amid the war in Ukraine and the threat from Russia.

Legal status clarified

Paweł Suski, a Civic Platform lawmaker and deputy chair of the parliamentary defense committee, said that "dozens, or at most several hundred people with Polish passports may have gone through Ukrainian units," according to Rzeczpospolita.

He added that Poland "should have decided the legal status of citizens fighting on Ukraine's side a long time ago" and that "we are indebted to those people."

The Ukrainian House in Warsaw welcomed progress on the bill granting amnesty to Poles who fought in Ukraine without Defense Ministry approval.

"In 2022 a bill on decriminalizing Polish citizens who volunteer to fight in the Ukrainian armed forces was ready to go," Oleksandr Pestrikov, an expert at the organization, told Kontur. The proposal stalled then, but now there is "good reason to expect that the state will articulate a precise position on volunteers."

The legislation includes two key provisions. It releases Polish citizens from penalties for evading military obligations or serving in Ukraine's armed forces and requires them to inform the Defense Ministry of when and where they began and ended service, along with details about their duties, Prawo.pl reported.

"To me they're heroes -- they're fighting against the greatest evil with no qualms whatsoever," said Artur Wojdygo, a volunteer with the Asymetryści foundation, which provides aid to Ukraine and supports refugees in Warsaw.

He told Kontur that many Poles share this view, adding, "Real actions are important. Politicians and online experts talk a lot but don't do much."

Serving Poland's interests

So far, no Polish volunteers fighting in Ukraine have faced prosecution. Suski said this "seems to be a deliberate policy by the public prosecutor, which is aware of the absurdity of this situation."

The bill would grant amnesty for offenses committed between February 24, 2022 -- the start of Russia's full-scale invasion -- and December 31, 2026, Prawo.pl reported.

Authorities would not pursue criminal or administrative cases, and any open cases would be closed, if they involve joining or recruiting for Ukraine's armed forces without official approval. The measure also forgives failures to report for service or attend military training in Poland.

The amnesty applies only to the Ukrainian armed forces and units recognized by Poland as legitimate, including the International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine.

Damian Duda, a Polish paramedic who has served on the front line since 2014 and leads the group W międzyczasie, said Polish volunteers are deeply committed.

"We understand that we can lose our lives here," he told Kontur.

Supporters of the bill argue it will reinforce backing for Poles who risk their lives in Ukraine and help "prevent the war from spreading farther west."

The measure states that Ukraine's independence serves Poland's security interests by deterring potential Russian aggression against other countries, according to Rzeczpospolita.