Polish prosecutors charge woman after assault on Ukrainian children in Bydgoszcz

The park altercation and police report

On Friday, 14 August 2026, around 17:00, a 14-year-old Ukrainian girl and her 12-year-old brother were attacked in a park on Unii Lubelskiej Street near the main railway station in Bydgoszcz. The altercation began after two adults confronted the minors while the boy was operating a toy drone. According to the Consulate General of Ukraine in Gdańsk, the confrontation started because the siblings were speaking to each other in Ukrainian. The perpetrators directed vulgar, nationality-based insults at the children, seized and damaged the boy's toy drone, and threw the broken item at the child. Police spokesperson Monika Chlebicz confirmed that the 12-year-old boy also had his arm twisted during the assault, though neither minor required emergency medical treatment. The children's mother alerted the police by telephone on Friday evening and filed a formal criminal complaint on Monday, 17 August.

Reactions from Polish and Ukrainian officials

The incident prompted public reactions from senior Polish government figures during a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, 18 August. Prime Minister Donald Tusk addressed the assault publicly before the government session, urging the attackers to surrender to the police immediately.

Attacking children because of their nationality is anti-Polish action.

Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński commended the regional police department on social media, writing that there is zero tolerance for hatred toward children. Ukrainian Ambassador to Poland Vasyl Bodnar addressed the situation during an appearance on RMF FM radio in Warsaw. Bodnar stated that Ukrainian diplomatic records indicate an increase of more than 30% in overt acts of hostility targeting Ukrainians across Poland. Bodnar appealed to Polish political figures not to exploit anti-Ukrainian sentiments ahead of the 2027 parliamentary elections.

You will not gain points on this, this aggression will only backfire on you.

Detentions and criminal charges

Officers from the Bydgoszcz Provincial Police Headquarters detained a 46-year-old woman and a 34-year-old man on Tuesday, 18 August. Investigators conducted procedural interviews at a local police station before the Bydgoszcz-Polnoc District Prosecutor's Office formally pressed charges against the 46-year-old woman. She faces charges of nationality-based insult and violation of bodily integrity of minors. The destruction of the toy drone, with an estimated value slightly above 100 PLN, was classified separately as a petty property offense. Police released the 34-year-old man without charges following questioning, designating him as a witness in the ongoing case.

Legal measures and upcoming hearings

Prosecutor Agnieszka Adamska-Okońska from the District Prosecutor's Office in Bydgoszcz stated that the suspect admitted being present at the park but contested the description of events provided by the mother. The prosecutor placed the 46-year-old woman under police supervision, set financial bail at 5,000 PLN, and issued a restraining order requiring her to stay at least 100 metres away from the victims with no direct contact permitted. Prosecutors also requested a specialized judicial hearing where both children will testify before a judge in the presence of a child psychologist. Adamska-Okońska noted that the upcoming psychological examination will serve to verify the suspect's claims against the initial testimony of the victims.