Polish President Andrzej Duda has warned that the end of Russia’s war against Ukraine could lead to a surge in international organized crime.
Duda told the Financial Times that Kyiv would require substantial Western support to maintain security, as the end of the war could trigger an increase in crime spreading from Ukraine to Poland, the rest of Europe and even the United States.
Drawing parallels to the early 1990s, when Soviet veterans returning from Afghanistan contributed to a surge in organized crime, the president said: “Just recall the times when the Soviet Union collapsed and how much the organized crime rate went up in Western Europe, but also in the U.S.”
He added that casualties from Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine were, in his view, far higher than those suffered in the Soviet-Afghan War and pointed to the dire circumstances awaiting returning soldiers.
He told the paper: “Their villages, their towns, where they will find ruined houses, ruined plants, ruined factories, no jobs and no perspectives.
“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.”
To counter the risks, Duda said it was necessary for Ukraine to continue receiving Western support to maintain domestic stability and security.
