Keep our news free from ads and paywalls by making a donation to support our work!
Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.
A factory in Ukraine belonging to a Polish company was attacked and seriously damaged by Russian drones last night. Poland’s foreign ministry says that the incident, which resulted in serious injuries, was clearly the result of deliberate targeting.
Russia last night attacked Ukraine with hundreds of Shahed suicide drones. Among the cities targeted was Vinnytsia, where a factory belonging to the Barlinek Group, a Polish manufacturer of wooden floors, was hit (pictured above, after the attack).
“Russian drones struck the Barlinek Group factory in Vinnytsia,” announced Polish foreign minister Radosław Sikorski on social media.
“The plant manager told me just now that it was deliberate, from three directions,” he added. “There are injuries, including two people severely burned. The Ukrainian authorities are responding, as is our consulate. Putin’s criminal war is getting closer to our borders.”
The foreign ministry’s spokesman, Paweł Wroński, told newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza that the factory had been hit by five drones coming from various directions.
“This proves it wasn’t a coincidence. A civilian target was clearly attacked,” said Wroński, who confirmed that six people were injured in the attack, two of them seriously.
Rosyjskie drony uderzyły w fabrykę Grupy Barlinek w Winnicy. Szef zakładu powiedział mi przed chwilą, że celowo, z trzech kierunków. Są ranni, w tym dwoje ciężko poparzonych. Działają służby ukraińskie, także nasz konsulat.
Zbrodnicza wojna Putina przybliża się do naszych granic.— Radosław Sikorski 🇵🇱🇪🇺 (@sikorskiradek) July 16, 2025
The regional prosecutor’s office in Vinnytsia announced this morning that it has initiated an investigation into the perpetration of war crimes by Russia during its overnight attacks on civilian industrial facilities in the city.
Barlinek’s factory in Vinnytsia is vital to the operations of the firm, which sells its floor products in 75 countries across six continents. Around 40% of those products are produced at the Vinnytsia plant, which opened in 2007, reports Business Insider Polska. The firm’s other two factories are located in Poland and Romania.
In September 2023, a factory in Ukraine belonging to Polish window manufacturer Fakro was hit by a Russian rocket, resulting in estimated losses for the firm of 30 million zloty (€7 million). However, within two months, the firm was able to resume production at the facility on a limited scale.
Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.
Main image credit: Vinnytsia District Prosecutor’s Office
Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
