End of Ukraine war could lead to surge in international crime, warns Duda

He shared this with the Financial Times.  

According to Duda, if there is a "explosion in international organized crime," Kyiv will need "massive support" to ensure security.  

In the interview, he expressed concerns about the potential spillover of crime from Ukraine into Poland, which could also affect Western European countries and the United States.  

The Polish leader compared this situation to the 1990s in Russia, when violence and criminal activity surged among veterans of the decade-long Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.  

“Just recall the times when the Soviet Union collapsed and how much the organised crime rate went up in western Europe, but also in the U.S.” Duda said.  

He mentioned that the return of Soviet troops "had that impact on the explosion of organised crime" adding that the losses from Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine are far greater than those during the war in Afghanistan.  

“Just imagine the situation when we have got thousands of people coming from the frontline coming back home. Those people who are fighting with Russia, a lot of them will demonstrate mental problems,” explained the president.

He added that many would be returning to “their villages, their towns where they will find ruined houses, ruined plants, ruined factories, no jobs and no perspectives”.

• Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk says that the beginning of Poland’s presidency in the EU Council is an important milestone on Ukraine’s path to the European Union.