Polish journalist Łukasz Warzecha barred from entering Ukraine for three years

In brief

• Polish commentator Łukasz Warzecha was barred from Ukraine for three years by the SBU, citing security reasons.
• He was turned back at the border after waiting more than seven hours while travelling with a Polish study-visit group.
• The Mieroszewski Centre expressed concern, and Polish politicians and experts called the decision a scandal.

Hours at the border

Warzecha, a journalist associated with the weekly Do Rzeczy and formerly with Onet, was travelling to Kyiv with a group of Polish journalists on an official invitation. He said border guards held his passport after the afternoon checks began, and he spent more than seven hours at the crossing before receiving a decision (Польського журналіста Варзеху не пустили в Україну та заборонили в’їзд на 3 роки – Українська правда) (Polish journalist held at Ukraine border and handed three-year entry ban – Notes from Poland) (Dziennikarz opisał zatrzymanie na granicy z Ukrainą. Dostał trzyletni zakaz wjazdu – Onet).

The ban

Late on Monday, 2 November, Warzecha said he had been served a decision from the SBU imposing a three-year ban on entry to Ukraine. He wrote on X that the ban came after a full day of waiting and high-level interventions, and that the stated reason was security (Łukasz Warzecha odebrał decyzję SBU po zatrzymaniu na granicy. Ma trzyletni zakaz wjazdu na Ukrainę – Rzeczpospolita) (Łukasz Warzecha niewpuszczony do Ukrainy. "3 lata zakazu" – Wirtualna Polska).

Organisers' response

The study visit was arranged by the Mieroszewski Centre, a Polish state-run institute, jointly with the Ukraine Institute, a Ukrainian body linked to the foreign ministry. Łukasz Adamski, head of the centre, said the list of participating journalists had been agreed by both organisers and sent to Ukrainian state authorities, who had raised no objection beforehand. The centre said it viewed the refusal with concern and warned that restrictions on journalists could fuel media debate and harm Polish-Ukrainian relations, while acknowledging Ukraine's sovereign right to decide on entry.

Reaction in Poland

The decision drew strong criticism from politicians across the spectrum and from experts on Eastern Europe. Many commentators called it a scandal and urged a firm response from Poland's foreign ministry ("Sowiecka mentalność" i "skandal". Burza po zakazie dla Warzechy – Wirtualna Polska). Sławomir Dębski, who commented on the case, was among those who publicised the visit's organisation.