Ukrainian citizen kills Polish priest in knife attack at Jarosław monastery; wounded priest urges no blame on Ukrainians
On 24 September, a 31-year-old Ukrainian citizen attacked people with a knife at a Benedictine sisters' monastery in Jarosław, Poland, killing one priest and wounding four. Two days later, an injured priest, Father Adrian, led the reopened abbey's first Mass with bandaged head and hand, publicly forgiving the attacker and urging Polish faithful not to blame all Ukrainians for his actions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attack as a "terrible crime," and Ukraine's ambassador to Poland said preliminary findings indicated no national motive.
Key points
- Attack occurred on 24 September at the Benedictine sisters' monastery on Benedyktyńska Street in Jarosław, Poland
- One priest, Father Stanisław Zbojnowicz, was killed; four other people were wounded, including priests Adrian and Marek
- The attacker is identified as 31-year-old Ukrainian citizen Ihor M. (Ігор М.)
- He had travelled from Germany intending to return to Ukraine but was turned back at the Korczowa border crossing for lacking vehicle insurance; his car was towed to Jarosław
- Polish prosecutors charged him with murder, attempted murder, and causing grievous bodily harm; on 26 September a Jarosław court ordered three months' pretrial detention to be served in hospital
- Psychiatrists found signs of an acute polymorphic psychotic disorder preventing him from participating in proceedings
- Father Adrian led the reopened abbey's Mass on 26 September with visible injuries, forgave the attacker on behalf of himself and the deceased priest, and asked Poles not to generalize against Ukrainians
- President Zelensky called the incident a "terrible crime" and said the perpetrator must be punished; Ambassador Vasyl Bodnar said preliminary information indicated no national motive
Why it matters
The killing of a Polish priest by a Ukrainian citizen at a monastery carries symbolic weight in a country that has taken in large numbers of Ukrainian refugees since Russia's full-scale invasion. Coming on Polish religious ground and days after President Zelensky's visit, the attack risked inflaming anti-Ukrainian sentiment. The reopened abbey's first Mass turned the pulpit into the place where that risk was publicly addressed: a wounded priest urged forgiveness and warned against generalizing blame to all Ukrainians. Official Ukrainian responses — Zelensky's condemnation and Bodnar's statement that there was no national motive — were framed to draw a clear line between the act and the country of the attacker's citizenship.
What happened
On 24 September a 31-year-old Ukrainian citizen, Ihor M., attacked five people with a knife on the grounds of the Benedictine sisters' monastery on Benedyktyńska Street in Jarosław, southeastern Poland. One priest, Father Stanisław Zbojnowicz, was killed; four other people were wounded, among them Father Adrian and another priest, Father Marek, who was hospitalized fighting for his life.
According to investigators, Ihor M. had travelled to Poland from Germany, intending to return to Ukraine. He was refused entry at the Korczowa border crossing because his car lacked valid insurance, and the vehicle was towed to Jarosław, where he subsequently carried out the attack. Polish prosecutors charged him with murder, attempted murder, and causing grievous bodily harm. A Jarosław court on 26 September ordered three months' pretrial detention to be served in hospital; psychiatric experts found signs of an acute polymorphic psychotic disorder that currently prevents him from participating in proceedings, including interrogation. Media reported he could face life imprisonment if convicted.
Two days after the attack the Jarosław abbey reopened to worshippers. At the Saturday Mass, Father Adrian appeared at the altar with bandaged head and hand and visible bruises on his face. In his sermon he said he forgives the attacker, also on behalf of the deceased Father Stanisław, and asked Polish faithful not to hold the entire Ukrainian people responsible, saying the crime was committed by a specific person who is responsible for his own deeds. He asked the congregation to pray for the deceased priest, for Father Marek in hospital, and for the attacker that he would "receive the grace of conversion," calling that prayer the most needed. He also recalled that after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian refugees had come to the abbey and received kindness and help from local residents, and asked that such support not be abandoned.
In Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelensky called the incident a "terrible crime," expressed condolences to the family of the deceased, and said the perpetrator must be punished according to law. Ukraine's Ambassador to Poland, Vasyl Bodnar, said preliminary information indicated the attack had no national or ethnic motive.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
All available sources are Ukrainian-language outlets (NV, Babel, hromadske, Yevropeiska pravda, Ukrainska pravda, LIGA.net). Their lead angle is Father Adrian's appeal from the altar not to blame all Ukrainians and his forgiveness of the attacker, foregrounding the message of non-generalization. Coverage prominently cites President Zelensky's condemnation of the attack as a "terrible crime" and Ambassador Bodnar's statement that there was no national motive, emphasizing official Ukrainian distancing from the act. The attacker's reported mental illness and the border-refusal episode are highlighted as context framing the killing as the deed of a specific individual, not a representative act by Ukrainians.
Where reporting differs
Sources disagree on the total number of people harmed. Some report the attacker assaulted five people (one killed plus four wounded); others say four people were injured in addition to the deceased priest; one says five people were injured in addition to the priest killed. The prevailing figure across most reports is one priest killed and four others wounded.
Background
The attacker had reportedly travelled from Germany to Poland intending to return to Ukraine but was turned back at the Korczowa crossing for lacking vehicle insurance; his car was towed to Jarosław, where he later carried out the attack. Psychiatric experts concluded he has signs of an acute polymorphic psychotic disorder that currently prevents him from participating in legal proceedings. Father Adrian recalled in his homily that after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian refugees had come to the monastery and received help from local residents, and asked that such support continue.