Claims are circulating widely on Polish social media alleging that a Ukrainian woman working at a ZUS branch (Poland’s Social Insurance Institution) in Szczecin is deliberately delaying procedures for Polish citizens, while management supposedly ignores complaints. Fact-checkers from Demagog have explained why this claim is fake.

Fake stories about Ukrainians in Poland take various forms, and one of the recurring themes in this context concerns pension payments in Poland. In connection with this topic, claims have also emerged that a Ukrainian citizen is allegedly making it harder for Poles to access benefits, and posts spreading this narrative have quickly circulated across social media platforms.

For example, a video was published on TikTok – at the time of writing it had more than 12,000 likes – claiming that a Ukrainian woman working at the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) in Szczecin is deliberately delaying the processing of pension applications for Polish citizens. Despite numerous complaints, as stated in the recording, she allegedly continues to hold her position.

Other materials on the same topic quickly appeared on platforms such as X and Facebook. The comments are dominated by anti-Ukrainian sentiment. As users wrote (original spelling preserved): “Fire her, they shouldn’t work in such positions at all”, “A saboteur against the Polish nation”, “What is this, why are Ukrainians hired in government offices?”

ZUS responds to the false information about pension payments in Szczecin

ZUS issued an official response to the allegations of alleged sabotage by an employee. As emphasized in the statement, the time required to process applications depends on various factors, such as the complexity of a case or the need to obtain additional documents. According to the institution, these factors may extend processing times and have nothing to do with any “Ukrainian” employee. When asked whether the Ukrainian woman mentioned in the video actually works at the Szczecin branch of ZUS, the official answer was clear: “The information is false. There is no such employee”.

Thus, such fakes are being spread with the aim of fueling anti-Ukrainian sentiment in Poland.