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Ukrainian refugee shelter in Poland faces funding and hostility challenges

A Krakow-based organisation supporting women fleeing gender-based violence is struggling amid rising anti-Ukrainian sentiment.

AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Published
Nastya Podorozhnya stands in the kitchen of the shelter which the Martynka non-profit is running in Krakow, Poland, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Claudia Ciobanu)

What this story says

  • A shelter in Krakow, Poland, called Martynka, which supports Ukrainian women refugees escaping gender-based violence, is struggling to secure funding.
  • The organisation, founded by Nastya Podorozhnya, has hosted more than 100 women and children since the war in Ukraine began.
  • Calls for donations for Martynka often result in online abuse directed at Ukrainians.
  • Rising anti-Ukrainian sentiment in Poland is linked to political exploitation of refugee issues and historical grievances.

Who covered it

Left 50%(12)Centre 46%(11)Right 4%(1)

Percentages are shares of the 24 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. Coverage measured .

Trust

42/100

Craft

61/100

Hype

20/100

24 sources · methodology

Martynka, a helpline and support group in Krakow, Poland, founded by Nastya Podorozhnya, is facing difficulties in maintaining its operations. The organisation provides assistance to female Ukrainian refugees who have fled gender-based violence. Since its inception, Martynka's shelter has provided refuge to over 100 women and children.

Podorozhnya established Martynka in the early days of the war, anticipating that Ukrainian women accepting help from strangers might be vulnerable to exploitation. While initial fundraising efforts were successful, international donors have since shifted their focus to other global crises. The organisation now struggles to raise sufficient funds to remain open.

In addition to funding challenges, Martynka and its founder face online abuse. Podorozhnya stated that calls for donations frequently trigger a torrent of online attacks directed at Ukrainians. This hostility is occurring within a broader context of increasing anti-Ukrainian sentiment in Poland.

Divergent accounts of refugee economic contribution

The Associated Press reported that a Deloitte study estimated Ukrainian refugees contributed 2.7% of Poland’s gross domestic product in 2024. This report also noted that by the end of 2022, over 70% of Ukrainian refugees in Poland had found employment. Other reports, however, did not include this specific economic data.

Omissions

None of the left-rated digests mention the Deloitte study estimating that Ukrainian refugees contributed 2.7% of Poland’s gross domestic product in 2024. None of the centre-rated digests mention the specific figure of 180 Ukrainian citizens being victims of prejudice-motivated crimes by mid-July. The single right-rated digest does not mention the Deloitte study or the figure for prejudice-motivated crimes.

Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 1 time, most recently on 25 Aug 2026, 11:00, and will add the sides that appear.

How other outlets pictured it

Which photograph to run is each newsroom’s own choice. The leaning beside a name is that outlet’s published rating, not a claim that the pictures divide along it. Every picture is shown from the outlet’s own server and links to the article it ran in.

Ukrainian refugee shelter in Poland faces funding and hostility challenges
WKMGCentre

How each side covered it

Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.

Left

12 rated outlets

  • Left-rated reports focused on the challenges faced by Martynka and its founder, Nastya Podorozhnya. They highlighted the organisation's struggle for survival due to drying funding and rising hostility towards Ukrainians. These reports noted that Podorozhnya founded Martynka to protect female refugees from gender-based violence and human traffickers. The digests in this section frequently mentioned that calls for donations trigger online abuse and that the shelter has hosted over 100 women and children. The Associated Press full report, carried by this side, detailed the increasing anti-Ukrainian rhetoric and mentioned that 180 Ukrainian citizens were victims of prejudice-motivated crimes by mid-July. It also included a quote from Prime Minister Donald Tusk stating, 'we must wage war on violence and hatred.'

Centre

11 rated outlets

  • Centre-rated reports also highlighted the difficulties faced by Martynka, including funding shortages and increased hostility towards Ukrainian refugees. These digests frequently stated that Nastya Podorozhnya founded the support group for women escaping violence and that the Krakow shelter has assisted more than 100 women and children. Some digests mentioned that calls for donations often lead to online hate directed at Ukrainians. The Associated Press full report, carried by this side, provided details on the economic contributions of Ukrainian refugees, citing a Deloitte study estimating a 2.7% GDP contribution in 2024, and noted that over 70% of refugees found employment by the end of 2022.

Right

1 rated outlet

  • The single right-rated digest mentioned that a Ukrainian migrant in Poland has faced online hate despite her efforts to help others. It also stated that Nastya Podorozhnya founded a support group called Martynka for Ukrainian women escaping violence and that the shelter in Krakow has helped more than 100 women and children.

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover Ukrainian refugee shelter in Poland faces funding and hostility…?
Of the 24 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 50% are rated left, 46% are rated centre, 4% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
Is Ukrainian refugee shelter in Poland faces funding and hostility… left or right?
Neither side dominates it. Of the 24 rated outlets on this story, 50% are rated left, 46% are rated centre, 4% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
Is the coverage of Ukrainian refugee shelter in Poland faces funding and hostility… biased?
Ukrainian refugee shelter in Poland faces funding and hostility challenges is one event reported by 24 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
Which outlets covered Ukrainian refugee shelter in Poland faces funding and hostility…?
24 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
What is Martynka and what does it do?
Martynka is a helpline and support group founded by Nastya Podorozhnya for female Ukrainian refugees in Krakow, Poland, who are escaping gender-based violence. The organisation's shelter has hosted over 100 women and children, assisting them with escaping abusers and accessing essential services.
Why is Martynka struggling to stay open?
Martynka is facing challenges due to drying funding from international donors, who have shifted their attention to other global crises. Additionally, the organisation is experiencing increased hostility and online abuse directed at Ukrainians, making fundraising efforts more difficult.
How has anti-Ukrainian sentiment risen in Poland?
Anti-Ukrainian sentiment in Poland has intensified, partly due to politicians exploiting anti-refugee sentiment for political gain and the resurfacing of historical grievances between the two countries. This has led to increased hostile conversations and attacks against Ukrainians.
What is the economic impact of Ukrainian refugees in Poland?
According to a Deloitte study cited in some reports, Ukrainian refugees contributed an estimated 2.7% of Poland’s gross domestic product in 2024. By the end of 2022, over 70% of Ukrainian refugees in Poland had found employment.

Read it at the source

24 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.

Left

12
Show 4 more

Centre

11
Show 3 more

Right

1

Not rated

0

No outlet in this group ran the story.

How did this read?

About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

Martynka Shelter Funding Challenges | MediaBias News