Ukrainians in Poland weigh should they stay or should they go

Poland hosts nearly one million Ukrainian refugees under EU protection, representing one of the largest refugee populations in Europe

A new UNHCR–Deloitte report estimates they boosted Poland's economy by around 2.7 percent of GDP last year. 

Yet nearly 52 percent of them say they don't know when - or if - they would return home. 

With hopes of a peace deal in Ukraine, many refugees now face mounting uncertainty about their future in Poland or back home. 

The employment rate of Ukrainians in Poland increased last year from 61 percent to 69 percent. Now, around half cannot say when they will return home. 

Maybe because of those economic gains, many are torn between potential rebuilding in Ukraine and settling in Poland. 

We visited the 'Ukrainian Home' NGO in Warsaw, where refugees seek legal guidance and assistance with daily life. Here, Ukrainian families weigh their futures as the conflict drags on, like Michal, a 65-year-old refugee who was a pensioner in Ukraine.

"For me it was very hard in Ukraine," Michal said. "The pension was around $60. And here, my wife works and she earns over $1,100 per month. Maybe if something is changed in Ukraine then I will go back, but otherwise it's hard."

Many like Michal must now balance family needs with uncertainty about peace.

"I think people who are not integrated here in Poland for now; they are waiting to come back to Ukraine," said Tetiana Czuchrienko-Lipnitska, Deputy Coordinato from NGO Ukrainian Home.

"And people who have already found a good paid job, their children go to school, are integrated in schools, they plan to go to universities. I think they will be staying here in Poland."

According to recent surveys, 20 percent to 30 percent of refugees in Poland answer "I don't know" when asked about their future plans. Some have found stability, but are still unsure if they will remain in Poland. 

Like Nonna Pandakova, a 63‑year‑old Decorative fabric designer, who, when the conflict in Ukraine started, launched her interior design firm in Poznan. 

Deciding between staying in Poland and returning to Ukraine remains a complex issue for her.

She said: "A lot of things have changed in Ukraine and I can't give such an answer right away as to where I'll go. I feel comfortable in Poland now - that's a fact. I never planned to live somewhere abroad, although there were all sorts of opportunities. But it seemed to me, I am Ukrainian, I will live only in Ukraine, but that's how this turned out now." 

For now, nearly a million Ukrainians in Poland live in limbo, waiting to see whether the peace will come and what it would bring.