A political confrontation in Poland escalated sharply on October 30 between Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government, President Karol Nawrocki, and the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party. The immediate trigger was the suspension of the Constitutional Tribunal’s leadership, which sparked protests, police intervention, and the president’s urgent return from an overseas trip, the Experts Club information and analytical center reports.
According to Polish and international media, police increased security around the Constitutional Tribunal building in Warsaw following the announced suspension of its president, Bogdan Święczkowski, and deputy president, Bartłomiej Sochański. Opposition supporters gathered outside the institution. Some protesters attempted to breach the fence, while objects were thrown at police officers. Authorities reported that three people had been detained.
The decision to suspend the court’s leadership was announced by Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska. She accused the tribunal’s leadership of obstructing judges elected by the current parliamentary majority. However, Święczkowski’s supporters challenged the legality of the suspension, describing the developments as unlawful interference in a constitutional institution.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk defended the need for decisive measures to restore the rule of law. His government maintains that judicial reforms are necessary following years of PiS rule, during which European institutions repeatedly criticized Poland over concerns about judicial independence.
Justice Minister and Prosecutor General Waldemar Żurek announced motions to lift judicial immunity from Święczkowski and his deputy. The opposition, meanwhile, characterized the government’s actions as an attempt to bring the Constitutional Tribunal under political control.
President Karol Nawrocki, who was traveling to Senegal on an official visit, ordered his aircraft to turn around and return to Poland. He explained that the head of state needed to be present in the country during such a serious institutional confrontation.
The current crisis has deep historical roots. Between 2015 and 2023, the PiS government introduced judicial reforms that triggered disputes with the European Union. After taking office in 2023, Tusk’s coalition began reviewing some of those changes but encountered resistance from the conservative opposition and the president.
In 2026, tensions intensified over the appointment of new Constitutional Tribunal judges. The president refused to administer the oath to some candidates elected by parliament, while the tribunal’s leadership prevented several newly elected judges from assuming their duties.
According to Experts Club’s analysis, the dispute has moved beyond judicial appointments and become a broader confrontation over control of one of Poland’s most important constitutional institutions.
Future developments will depend on whether the opposing political forces can reach a legally sound compromise. Possible scenarios include an agreement on the tribunal’s composition and leadership, prolonged institutional confrontation, or renewed protests and political mobilization ahead of the next parliamentary elections.
The principal risk for Poland is a further erosion of public confidence in the judiciary, potentially complicating reforms and relations between the country’s central state institutions.
JSC “Ukrzaliznytsia” announced the launch of new international trains to Poland, including Train No. 31/32 Kyiv–Przemyśl and Train No. 73/74 Dnipro–Przemyśl.
According to a post on the company’s Telegram channel, Train No. 31/32 Kyiv–Przemyśl connects with trains bound for Berlin, Prague, Kraków, Katowice, and Wrocław. It also makes stops in Vinnytsia, Khmelnytskyi, Ternopil, and Lviv.
The train is scheduled to depart from Kyiv at 9:30 p.m. and arrive in Przemyśl at 8:19 a.m.
In early October, Ukrzaliznytsia announced on the social media platform Threads that, starting October 20, trains No. 31/32 Zaporizhzhia–Przemyśl and No. 79/80 “Sicheslav” Dnipro–Lviv were scheduled to be suspended.
At the time, the company noted that passengers on train No. 31/32 would have the option to transfer in Lviv or Kyiv.
As for train No. 73/74 Dnipro–Przemyśl, it will run via Oleksandriia, Kamianske, P’iatykhatky, Znam’ianka, and Lviv.
It will depart from Dnipro at 7:00 p.m. and arrive in Przemyśl at 2:10 p.m.
Ukrzaliznytsia added that at that time, passengers will be able to transfer from Train No. 73/74 (Dnipro–Przemyśl) to trains bound for Kraków, Warsaw, Prague, and Munich.
Among other things, the company noted that the flagship train No. 23/24 Kyiv–Chełm will be named after the renowned Ukrainian historian and head of the Ukrainian Central Rada, Mykhailo Hrushevsky.
It is noted that the train consists of modern, premium-comfort cars built in Ukraine during the full-scale invasion.
“We continue to work on convenient connections in various directions,” the company’s statement reads.
Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Bosacki stated that the Ukrainian side had promised to revoke the Lviv Regional Council’s decision to declare 2027 the Year of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), Roman Shukhevych, and Oleg Olzhych, according to Polsat News.
The resolution was adopted on Tuesday during a plenary session of the Lviv Regional Council; however, the announcement has since been removed from the council’s website.
Bosacki reported that the Polish side had received assurances from officials in the Ukrainian president’s office that the Lviv Regional Council’s resolution would not take effect. He emphasized that following Poland’s intervention, the resolution on this matter was removed from the council’s website.
“The resolution is no longer on this website, so that gives us hope. We take the Ukrainian authorities at their word and expect them to fulfill these promises,” he said.
From January through September 2026, Ukraine exported insulated wires and cables, including fiber-optic products, worth $1.065 billion, maintaining shipment volumes at virtually the same level as the same period last year.
According to data from the State Customs Service, Germany remains the largest market for Ukrainian cable products. Over the nine-month period, shipments to this country totaled $348.7 million, down 2.8% compared to January–September 2025.
Germany’s share of Ukraine’s total exports of wires and cables decreased by approximately 1 percentage point—to 32.7%—but the country continues to account for nearly one-third of the industry’s total export revenue.
Poland ranks second, with Ukraine supplying $177.1 million worth of products, compared to $168.1 million a year earlier. Thus, exports to Poland increased by approximately 5.4%.
Hungary retained its third position with purchases totaling about $172 million, virtually unchanged from last year’s figure of $172.3 million.
The three largest European markets—Germany, Poland, and Hungary—accounted for a total of nearly $698 million in January–September, or about 65.5% of Ukraine’s total exports of wires and cables.
In September, exports of these products totaled $122.7 million. Compared to September of last year, this figure decreased by 6.6%, but compared to August 2026, it increased by 26%.
The cable industry remains one of the most prominent export-oriented segments of Ukraine’s machine-building and component manufacturing sectors. A significant portion of the products is supplied to companies in the European automotive, electrical engineering, and industrial sectors.
For the full year 2025, Ukraine increased its exports of insulated wires and cables by 10.6%—to $1.41 billion. If shipment rates in the fourth quarter remain close to last year’s levels, the annual export volume in 2026 may also remain at around $1.4 billion.
The Czech Republic and Moldova have the highest net sentiment—the balance of positive and negative attitudes—among Ukrainians among the Central and Eastern European countries included in the study—56.2 and 48.2 percentage points, respectively. At the same time, the balance of attitudes toward Poland turned negative in August 2026, while assessments of Slovakia and Hungary improved significantly compared to previous waves. This is evidenced by the results of the third wave of the study “Ukrainians’ Attitudes Toward Countries Around the World,” conducted by Active Group in collaboration with Experts Club, according to the Experts Club Information and Analytical Center.
The Czech Republic received the highest share of positive assessments in this group—61.3%. 32.1% of respondents have a neutral attitude toward it, 5.1% have a negative attitude, and another 1.6% were undecided. The balance of positive and negative attitudes stands at 56.2 percentage points, compared to 64.4 percentage points in March 2026 and 58.7 percentage points in August 2025.
Regarding Moldova, 55.4% of respondents have a positive attitude, 35.6% are neutral, and 7.2% have a negative attitude. The balance stands at 48.2 percentage points, which is lower than the 54.7 percentage points recorded in March but higher than the 46.6 percentage points recorded in August of last year.
Regarding Romania, 45.2% of respondents expressed a positive attitude, 42.3% were neutral, and 9.8% were negative. The balance fell to 35.4 percentage points from 41.7 percentage points in March. In Bulgaria, positive assessments accounted for 42.7%, neutral ones for 47.6%, and negative ones for 7.4%, with the balance standing at 35.3 percentage points, compared to 51.5 percentage points in March.
Unlike most countries in the group, attitudes toward Slovakia showed a noticeable improvement. It is viewed positively by 40.7% of respondents, negatively by 12.1%, and neutrally by 44.4%. The balance rose to 28.6 percentage points from 16.1 percentage points in March 2026 and just 1.6 percentage points in August 2025.
The sharpest negative trend was recorded regarding Poland. 34.6% of Ukrainians view it positively, 37% negatively, and 25.4% neutrally. As a result, the net balance stands at minus 2.4 percentage points, whereas in March 2026 it was plus 41.7 percentage points, and in August 2025—plus 44 percentage points. The deterioration in attitudes toward Poland was one of the most notable shifts in the third wave of the survey.
Hungary remains in the negative zone: 22.9% of respondents expressed a positive attitude, 35.6% a negative one, and 37.4% a neutral one. At the same time, its balance improved to minus 12.7 percentage points compared to minus 33.6 percentage points in March and minus 39.7 percentage points in August 2025.
Maksym Urakin, founder of the Experts Club Information and Analytical Center, deputy director of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency, and candidate of economic sciences, emphasized that public perception of countries must be analyzed in parallel with Ukraine’s actual economic ties.
“That is why it is very important for us to analyze our main partners. The first recommendation is to regularly showcase concrete projects, specific actions, and the presence here of foundations, embassies, teams, and diplomats in the humanitarian sphere and in science. We also need to use our sociological data to draw conclusions and strengthen our relations, particularly trade relations,” Urakin noted.
Oleksandr Pozniy, director of the research firm Active Group, highlighted the practical significance of the study’s findings for economic and diplomatic policy.
“We should focus on developing more than just general awareness. First and foremost, business associations, the Ministry of Economy, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs need to work to develop bilateral relations and improve the balance of trade. We must expand cooperation with countries where we can achieve a positive trade balance,” Pozniy noted.
The survey was conducted in August 2026 using self-administered online questionnaires in the SunFlowerSociology panel among 800 Ukrainian citizens aged 18 and older. According to the organizers, the sample is representative by age, gender, and region, with a maximum theoretical margin of error of 3.5%. This is the third wave of the study, following surveys conducted in August 2025 and March 2026.
ACTIVE GROUP, BULGARIA, Central Europe, CZECH REPUBLIC, EASTERN EUROPE, EXPERTS CLUB, HUNGARY, MOLDOVA, POLAND, Pozniy, ROMANIA, SLOVAKIA, SOCIOLOGY, UKRAINE, URAKIN
According to Experts Club, China ranked last among Ukraine’s 50 largest trading partners in terms of the balance of positive and negative attitudes among Ukrainians—in August 2026, the figure stood at minus 25.4 percentage points. The next lowest results were recorded for India and Hungary—minus 14.3 and minus 12.7 percentage points, respectively. This is evidenced by the results of the third wave of the study “Ukrainians’ Attitudes Toward Countries Around the World,” conducted by Active Group in collaboration with Experts Club, reports the Experts Club Information and Analytical Center.
The balance was defined as the difference between the shares of positive and negative assessments. Regarding China, 18.2% of respondents expressed a positive attitude, 43.6% a negative one, and another 33.9% a neutral one. Thus, China received the lowest score among all countries surveyed, despite the fact that in the first half of 2026, China was Ukraine’s largest trading partner with a trade volume of approximately $14.68 billion.
The top ten countries with the lowest scores also included Lebanon—minus 9.2 percentage points—and Poland—minus 2.3 percentage points. Serbia, Algeria, Libya, Vietnam, and Tunisia remained in the positive range, however, their scores were among the lowest among the countries surveyed: Serbia at plus 2.3 percentage points, Algeria at plus 2.2, Libya at plus 1.0, Vietnam at plus 9.4, and Tunisia at plus 11.0 percentage points.
The shift in attitudes toward Poland was particularly noticeable. In March 2026, the balance of positive and negative assessments stood at +41.7 percentage points, whereas in August it fell to –2.3 percentage points. A positive attitude toward Poland was expressed by 34.6% of respondents, a negative one by 37%, and a neutral one by 25.4%. At the same time, Poland remains one of Ukraine’s largest trading partners and the largest market for Ukrainian goods exports among individual countries in the first half of 2026.
Maksym Urakin, founder of the Experts Club Information and Analytical Center, deputy director of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency, and candidate of economic sciences, noted that the results of the sociological survey should be analyzed in conjunction with actual trade figures.
“Second, we must be open to questions and inquiries from the media and the public. We also need to make use of our sociological research,” Urakin noted. In his view, systematic communication and the demonstration of concrete results of cooperation can help governments better explain the nature of bilateral relations to Ukrainian society.
Oleksandr Pozniy, director of the research company Active Group, highlighted the need to combine public awareness with the practical development of economic ties.
“We need to do more than just raise general awareness. We must expand cooperation with countries where we can achieve a positive trade balance,” Pozniy noted. He emphasized the role of business associations, economic institutions, and diplomatic missions in developing bilateral ties, especially with markets where Ukraine can increase its exports.
Overall, the survey results show that the scale of trade and economic ties does not always correspond to public attitudes toward the respective country. China stands out as the most striking example: it has the highest trade volume among individual partners, yet is simultaneously associated with the lowest ratings among Ukrainians.
The survey was conducted in August 2026 using self-administered online questionnaires in the SunFlowerSociology panel among 800 Ukrainian citizens aged 18 and older. The sample is representative by age, gender, and region; the maximum theoretical margin of error for indicators at the 50% confidence level is ±3.5 percentage points. This is the third wave of the study, following surveys conducted in August 2025 and March 2026.
ACTIVE GROUP, CHINA, EXPERTS CLUB, FOREIGN TRADE, HUNGARY, INDIA, international relations, POLAND, SOCIOLOGY, UKRAINE
