The article aims to answer why Poles helped Ukrainians in such an active and benevolent way in the first months after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The intensity of Polish society’s assistance to refugees from the war zones took the form of a national upsurge, which is surprising in the context of both earlier animosities related to the past of the two nations and the social reluctance to accept refugees in Poland. The text explains the causes of the Poles’ enthusiasm for providing help. The study’s empirical basis comprises qualitative research conducted between March and September 2022 using the methods of participatory observation and in-depth interviews among people helping refugees from Ukraine. The result of the analysis is a typology of reasons for involvement in helping, distinguishing and describing decisions of an (1) ethical, (2) social, (3) patriotic, (4) emotional, (5) therapeutic, (6) identity, and (7) material nature.
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