Poland's foreign minister has accused Russia of intentionally attacking a factory owned by a Polish company in Ukraine, further escalating tensions between NATO and Moscow.
According to Newsweek, the strike on the Barlinek Group facility in Vinnytsia has caused "significant" damage that will halt production for at least six months.
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski stated the attack was deliberate, citing information from the plant manager. The incident represents the latest in a series of Russian strikes targeting facilities in Ukraine owned by companies based in NATO member countries.
NATO Facilities Under Russian Fire
This attack marks another instance of Russia targeting businesses with Western connections operating within Ukraine. Last month, the Kremlin struck a site used by American defense giant Boeing in Kyiv, according to reporting by the Financial Times.
Moscow has previously hit other NATO country-owned industrial facilities. In August 2023, Swedish bearings company SKF suffered a Russian missile strike on its factory in Lutsk, northwestern Ukraine, resulting in three deaths. Russian authorities justified that attack by describing the plant as a legitimate military target.
The targeting of the Polish-owned flooring factory occurred as part of a broader overnight assault that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky characterized as among the "heaviest" recent attacks. These strikes come amid intensifying Russian military activity following stalled U.S.-brokered ceasefire negotiations.
Casualties Mount in Vinnytsia Region
Ukrainian emergency services reported that eight people were hospitalized following the Russian drone strikes, which hit two civilian industrial facilities and four residential buildings in Vinnytsia. The attacks triggered "large-scale fires" across the region, further damaging critical infrastructure.
Sikorski confirmed that two people suffered severe burns in the attack on the Polish-owned factory. A local Vinnytsia official provided a slightly different count, stating that five people had received burns in the region, with three categorized as "severe" cases.
The Polish foreign minister, speaking alongside Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha, noted that the strikes came from "three directions." Sybiha condemned the factory targeting as "another barbaric attack" by Russian forces, reinforcing Ukraine's consistent characterization of such strikes as war crimes.
Threats to NATO's Eastern Flank
The proximity of these attacks to NATO territory has raised concerns about potential spillover into alliance countries. In reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Poland's Sikorski warned that "Putin's criminal war is getting closer to our borders," signaling growing anxiety among NATO's eastern members.
Russian strikes near NATO's eastern boundaries have frequently prompted defensive responses from alliance members. Romania's defense ministry reported that Russian attacks on port infrastructure close to its border early Wednesday morning caused the country to place fighter jets on alert, though the aircraft ultimately did not take off.
These patterns of attacks near NATO territory represent an ongoing challenge for the alliance as it seeks to support Ukraine while avoiding direct military confrontation with Russia. The targeting of companies from NATO countries adds another dimension to this complex security situation.
Widespread Infrastructure Damage
The strike on the Polish-owned factory was part of a broader Russian campaign targeting multiple regions of Ukraine. President Zelensky reported that Russia had conducted extensive attacks on Vinnytsia and parts of southern, central, and northeastern Ukraine overnight.
Zelensky confirmed that 15 people were injured across these attacks, which primarily focused on energy infrastructure. Ukrainian officials are working to restore power in the central city of Kryvyi Rih, aiming to get the electricity supply functioning "as fully as possible" in the aftermath.
The Barlinek Group, headquartered in the Polish city of Kielce, issued a statement to Newsweek confirming that its factory was specifically targeted in the Russian drone attack. The company described the losses as "significant" and estimated that production would not resume for at least six months.
