Yesterday, I stood before you with a heavy heart to talk about Anastasiia—a 20-year-old Ukrainian refugee who escaped the devastation of war only to be ambushed, shocked with a stun gun, and severely injured outside a grocery store in Wrocław, Poland.
I asked you to say her name. I asked you to make this story impossible to ignore.
And within 24 hours, you did.
Today, I have a major update. Two of the men responsible are in handcuffs. The full picture of what happened that night has emerged—and what Polish investigative journalists and authorities just uncovered changes this story completely.
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The police response was swift, overwhelming, and unyielding.
Local police in Wrocław, working alongside specialized counterterrorism units, tracked down two of the suspects in less than a day while actively searching for the third member of the group:
* **Adam Cybiński ("Ciczu"):** A 45-year-old hardened convict with over a decade of prison time behind him. Police intercepted him on the A4 motorway as he actively attempted to flee the city. He was easily identified on surveillance footage thanks to a distinctive bandage on his leg.
* **The 27-Year-Old Suspect:** A second man linked directly to local football hooliganism and mixed martial arts circles was taken into custody shortly after.
Both men are now facing up to **five years in prison**.Crucially, Polish prosecutors did not treat this as a simple street brawl. They formally charged them with assault **and violence motivated by national intolerance**—a full hate crime charge under Polish law.
```
THE ARREST & LEGAL BREAKDOWN
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ──► Suspect 1: Adam "Ciczu" Cybiński (Intercepted on A4) │
│ ──► Suspect 2: 27-year-old Hooligan/MMA Associate │
│ ──► Suspect 3: Currently under active manhunt │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ CHARGES: Assault + Violence Motivated by National Intolerance│
│ MAX SENTENCE: Up to 5 Years in Prison │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
```
2. Who Is "Ciczu"?
When the story first broke, rumors circulated that this was just a random misunderstanding over a store queue.
Here is what actually happened: Anastasiia was in line inside the grocery store when three men cut in front of her. She stood up for herself and called them out. The men responded by hurling anti-Ukrainian slurs at her inside the shop.
Anastasiia hoped it would end there. But when she and her boyfriend Maksym walked outside, **the men were waiting for them in the dark.**
And who was the 45-year-old man waiting outside to assault a 20-year-old girl over a store queue?
Polish media confirmed that Adam Cybiński is a bare-knuckle boxer associated with **GROMDA**—a prominent Polish bare-knuckle fighting promotion whose media channels and associated fighters have frequently pushed nationalist rhetoric and anti-immigrant content targeting Ukrainians. GROMDA themselves were forced to issue an official public statement acknowledging Cybiński’s involvement following his arrest.
A hardened convict and bare-knuckle fighter, steeped in online anti-Ukrainian hostility, thought he could ambush a young woman in broad daylight and get away with it. He was wrong.
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This case did not just trigger a local police chase—it ignited a national political reckoning inside Poland.
**Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk** addressed the attack directly during a cabinet meeting, issuing a stern warning about the dangers of political radicalization:
> *"These thugs and hooligans only act because they feel they have political backing. When politicians incite hostility against refugees, it ends in blood on the streets—and ultimately, it serves the strategic interests of Russia."*
At the same time, **Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha** engaged directly with Polish officials, praising the rapid response of Polish law enforcement while urging political leaders to stop giving cover to radical groups spreading anti-Ukrainian hate.
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The video of Anastasiia’s brother arriving at the scene and seeing his sister covered in blood is something I will never be able to unsee.
But today, Anastasiia knows she is not alone.
These arrests happened in 24 hours because millions of people across the world shared her story, forced the media to pay attention, and made it clear to authorities that violence against refugees will never be swept under the rug.
To the Polish counterterrorism officers who hunted down these suspects: **thank you.**
To Prime Minister Donald Tusk for refusing to excuse political extremism: **thank you.**
And to everyone who shared the video to demand justice: **you made this happen.**
Anastasiia stood up for herself in that store—and today, the law stood up for her.
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Thank you for standing with us. *Slava Ukraini.*
***
*Do you agree with Prime Minister Tusk that political rhetoric gives cover to violent hooligans? How do we ensure hate crime laws are fully enforced across Europe? Let’s discuss in the comments below, share this update, and stand with Anastasiia.*
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