As part of Rinat Akhmetov’s Steel Front military initiative, Metinvest is working on exporting bunkers for the border between Poland and Russia, the company’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) Alexander Mironenko said in an interview with Pryamyy TV channel.
“We are mainly working with our Western partners on shelters. This is very relevant right now: we are showing them our solutions for the construction of various structures. For example, a hospital that fully complies with NATO Role2 standards. It has been inspected by numerous delegations: military medics, engineers, and foreign specialists, and everyone agreed that the solutions are quite effective,” said Myronenko.
According to him, the company has presented its engineering solutions based on “hideouts” at many military-themed exhibitions and meetings, and they are very popular.
“We are currently working on entering the international market with these solutions, for example, for the construction of the border between Poland and Russia, using our experience and proposals for underground structures. The NATO army does not have such experience, so they are very interested in this. And we exchange information and experience with them,” said the COO.
He added that the shelters have undergone a major transformation. Initially, they were simply “barrels” buried in the ground. “Now we provide a full service — it is essentially an underground house with its own lighting, generator, stove, and all amenities: just plug the generator into the outlet, and the room is ready for use,” the COO clarified.
“The unique product we are proud of is, of course, the protective structures for the Patriot and SAMP/T air defense systems. And now we are developing protection for the Hawk air defense system control module, which operates in Ukraine. In my opinion, this is a unique experience, because we are talking about state-of-the-art technology designed to protect the sky from the enemy, but certain shortcomings have been revealed in real combat conditions. Together with the military, we corrected them – we made the control modules, radar installations, and other systems safer so that personnel could feel confident even in dangerous situations and conduct air defense of our cities and towns,” explained the top manager.
He added that the company plans to continue supporting the military in all areas, both through the purchase of equipment and through the provision of its own products.
“In production, we will focus on protecting equipment: we will improve existing solutions and develop new ones for different types of equipment. The second area is the development of ”shelters” and solutions based on them. An underground training center has already been built on the basis of such shelters, and we are now completing the construction of another large underground center for pilot training. This is a large niche in which we plan to continue working and developing,” Myronenko concluded.
A joint Polish-Ukrainian enterprise, PK MIL SA, has been established to manufacture, among other things, Ukrainian self-propelled howitzers “Bogdan” and towed howitzers “Bogdan-BG,” according to the press service of the Polish company PONAR Wadowice, on whose premises the production facility is being set up.
“PONAR Wadowice SA and Kramatorskie Zakłady Budowy Ciężkich Obrabiarek (KZVV) have established a joint Polish-Ukrainian enterprise, PK MIL SA, which will work to strengthen the European defense industry and implement the priorities of the ReArm Europe initiative,” the company said in a statement on its website.
It is reported that the company’s goal is to produce 155-mm NATO-standard artillery systems, in particular the Bogdan self-propelled howitzer and the Bogdan-BG towed howitzer. The project will be implemented on the basis of European production capacities and close industrial cooperation between Poland and Ukraine.
PK MIL SA is part of the PONAR Wadowice group, and PONAR Wadowice SA owns a controlling stake of 51% in PK MIL SA. This provides the company with stable capital, a technological and organizational base, and allows it to effectively use the experience of the PONAR Wadowice group in implementing projects for the defense sector.
It is emphasized that the creation of PK MIL SA is a response to “the growing demand for proven, reliable, and scalable artillery systems. The new company will make it possible to increase production capacity, shorten supply chains, and more effectively coordinate activities in the defense sector.”
Bogdan is the first Ukrainian 155 mm (NATO standard) wheeled self-propelled artillery system (SAU) adopted by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2023. It has high accuracy, rate of fire (up to 5-6 rounds/min), and a range of up to 40-60 km. Its production is constantly being scaled up.
The Ukrainian Embassy in the Republic of Poland reminded that the Special Law on Assistance to Ukrainian Citizens of March 12, 2022, will cease to be in force on March 5.
“All key mechanisms of temporary protection have been transferred to systemic laws, primarily to the Act of June 13, 2003, on granting protection to foreigners on the territory of the Republic of Poland. The stay of a beneficiary of temporary protection is recognized as legal until March 4, 2027,” the embassy said in a statement on its Facebook page.
It is noted that for this period, the stay is recognized as legal if the person: entered Poland after February 24, 2022, as a result of armed conflict; received a PESEL number with UKR status; does not have temporary protection provided by another EU member state.
The embassy added that for persons who already had a PESEL number with UKR status at the time of the entry into force of the law of January 23, 2026, this status remains valid.
“UKR status is now regulated by the Population Registration Act (Ustawa o ewidencji ludnosći). An application for a PESEL number with UKR status must be submitted in person to any commune authority within 30 days of arrival. A photograph and fingerprints must be attached to the application… Until August 31, 2026, persons who have been granted UKR status on the basis of an application are required to confirm their identity with a foreign passport (if a passport was provided). If this requirement is not met, the status will be changed to NUE (which does not grant the right to legal residence or any social assistance from the state),” the diplomatic mission warned.
It is reported that persons with temporary protection now have access to medical care on terms similar to those of Polish citizens. Full access to medical services is provided if you have medical insurance and pay contributions to ZUS. People without insurance are entitled to free assistance only in cases of immediate threat to life and health, during pregnancy and the postpartum period, and until the age of 18.
Changes will be made to the provision of accommodation in collective accommodation centers.
“The Minister of Internal Affairs may provide accommodation and meals (in a collective accommodation center or financial assistance) according to the following rules: a maximum of 60 days from the date of first entry into Poland (for new arrivals); in total, no more than 12 months during the entire period of temporary protection. This limit is cumulative (total) — all time spent in the centers since 2022 is taken into account,” the statement said.
For vulnerable groups, collective housing with meals is provided by the Minister of Social Welfare. Vulnerable groups include: persons with disabilities (moderate/severe disability, as well as their caregivers); persons aged 60+ (women)/65+ (men) without a Polish pension, who are not working and do not have adult children receiving alimony; pregnant women or mothers with children under 12 months of age; persons from abroad who are under the care of institutions/families; persons who have just been discharged from hospital after hospitalization lasting at least 7 days and paid for by the NFZ.
It is reported that a special transition period is in effect until June 30, 2026: the voivode may allow everyone who already lives there to remain in the center (even if the 12-month limit has long been exceeded). This period has been introduced to give people time to finish the school year and find permanent housing. After June 30, 2026, persons who do not belong to vulnerable groups will lose their right to free accommodation in collective accommodation centers.
“Educational assistance 800+ and other family benefits are provided under the general conditions applicable to foreigners — that is, provided that the guardian is professionally active and the child fulfills their school obligations. The authority to supervise and control the expenditure of assistance for children from the foreign care system is entirely vested in the county authorities. In case of violation of the conditions, payments may be suspended,” the embassy informs.
Temporary protection is not granted and/or is terminated if the person: has a permanent residence permit, long-term EU resident status, temporary residence permit, refugee status, etc. (applies to all EU countries); has applied for international protection; has been granted temporary protection in another EU country; is a citizen of an EU member state; has provided false information or forged documents; has entered under the local border traffic regime.
Temporary protection is also terminated in the event of departure from Poland for a period exceeding 30 days, written refusal of protection, or acquisition of another legal status.
Temporary protection is valid until March 4, 2027. Further decisions on the extension or change of the legal stay of Ukrainian citizens in Poland are within the competence of the Government of the Republic of Poland.
According to the results of 2025, Ukraine imported Polish agri-food products worth EUR 1.2 billion and entered the list of key destinations for Polish exports outside the European Union, reported the Polish online publication agronews.com.pl.
According to the publication, Polish food exports to third countries grew by 3% last year, reaching EUR 14.5 billion, which accounted for 25% of total sales. The main consumers in this segment, apart from Ukraine, were the United Kingdom with EUR 4.4 billion and the United States with EUR 838 million. Meat (EUR 1.6 billion), dairy products (EUR 1.1 billion), and chocolate products (EUR 1 billion) were in the highest demand in markets outside the EU.
According to Polish analysts, the strengthening of the zloty exchange rate, which slightly reduced the price competitiveness of Polish goods, was a restraining factor for further expansion.
At the same time, the European Union remains Poland’s key trading partner, accounting for 75% of all shipments. Exports to the bloc grew by 10% to EUR43.9 billion. Germany was traditionally the main buyer, with EUR14.8 billion. The commodity structure of European supplies was dominated by poultry meat (EUR4.2 billion, +26%), beef (EUR2.7 billion, +37%), and confectionery.
Poland’s total agri-food exports in 2025 set a historic record and reached EUR58.4 billion, allowing the country to maintain a positive trade balance of EUR19.8 billion.
In 2025, Ukraine imported 123,600 tons of potatoes, which is 2.4 times more than in 2024; the cost of purchasing them increased 2.5 times to $66.29 million, according to the State Customs Service.
Poland (37.1%), Egypt (13.56%), and the Netherlands (11.58%) became the leaders in potato supplies to Ukraine.
The Polish government’s Agency for Strategic Reserves (RARS) has sent the first batch of generators announced for Ukraine as part of its assistance in overcoming the consequences of Russian shelling, the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Kyiv reported on Thursday.
“The first batch of generators sent by RARS is already in Kyiv. Poland’s Chargé d’Affaires in Ukraine, Piotr Lukasiewicz, officially handed them over today to Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba and the head of the Kyiv Regional Administration, Mykola Kalashnik,” the embassy said in a statement on social media.
Deputy Prime Minister for the Restoration of Ukraine – Minister of Community and Territorial Development of Ukraine Oleksiy Kuleba said that 379 generators have already been received and some of them have already been transferred to the Kyiv region.
“We have received energy support from Poland – 379 generators of various capacities. Today, the first batch of equipment was delivered to the Kyiv region. By the end of January, all aid will be distributed among the communities,” he wrote on X.
The Deputy Prime Minister also announced that the Polish government has already decided to purchase an additional ten high-capacity generators.
He explained that the Kyiv region is under constant Russian attack and “knows well what power outages and risks to basic services mean.” “The generators will ensure the stable operation of critical infrastructure – water, heat, and electricity supply,” Kuleba said.
As reported, last week Lukasiewicz announced the arrival in Kyiv of 400 generators of various types from Polish government reserves.
Earlier, it was also reported that as part of a nationwide fundraising campaign for generators for Ukraine called “Warmth from Poland for Kyiv,” more than PLN 5 million (over $1 million) had already been raised. The campaign was organized by the Polish Stand with Ukraine Foundation.
