Polish Minister of National Defense Vladyslav Kosyniak-Kamysz stated that Ukrainians of draft age who are in Poland should be in Ukraine and serve their country.
“All young Ukrainians capable of fighting should be in Ukraine and serve their homeland there,” Kosiniak-Kamysz said during a speech, a video of which was published by the Video Parlament channel.
He also criticized Ukrainians who flaunt a lavish lifestyle in Poland or violate local rules. In particular, in the published excerpts from his speech, the minister stated that such cases “are not normal” and that such individuals should be deported.
The statement came amid a debate in Poland regarding the behavior of some Ukrainians residing in the country, as well as Ukraine’s mobilization needs. A separate incident that previously sparked public outrage involved a Ukrainian influencer who drove into the Morskie Oko area in the Tatra Mountains in defiance of a ban; Polish police sought a five-year ban on his entry into Poland and the Schengen Area.
At the same time, Kosyniak-Kamysz criticized far-right politicians and the opposition Law and Justice party for stoking anti-Ukrainian sentiment. He emphasized that since the start of the full-scale war, Poles have opened their homes and provided extensive assistance to Ukrainians without setting up refugee camps.
The Polish defense minister had previously expressed a similar position. In February 2025, in an interview with Radio ZET, he said that Ukrainians of draft age should leave Poland and fight for their country, and he also called the sight of young Ukrainian men in expensive cars and five-star hotels “indecent and unacceptable.”
The Polish minister’s new rhetoric coincided with discussions within the EU regarding changes to the temporary protection regime for Ukrainians. On June 26, 2026, the European Commission proposed extending temporary protection for people who fled the war in Ukraine until March 4, 2028, but at the same time noted that temporary protection, as a rule, should not be granted to new arrivals who cannot confirm that they have permission from the Ukrainian authorities to leave, given their military obligations.
Reuters, citing the European Commission’s proposal, reported that the restriction would apply to new arrivals—Ukrainian men of draft age without permission from the Ukrainian authorities to leave the country—but not to Ukrainians already under protection in EU countries.
Poland remains one of the leading EU countries in terms of the number of Ukrainians with temporary protection status. According to Eurostat, as of May 31, 2026, 967,505 people from Ukraine had this status in Poland, accounting for 22.1% of all individuals from Ukraine who had been granted temporary protection in the EU. Only Germany had a higher number—1.283 million people.
According to the Polish Office for Foreigners, approximately 993 thousand Ukrainian citizens in Poland are registered under temporary protection and hold a PESEL UKR number. In addition, 462 thousand Ukrainian citizens hold valid temporary residence permits, while another 92 thousand have permanent residence or long-term resident status in the EU.
Thus, Kosiniak-Kamysz’s statement reflects a tougher stance taken by a segment of the Polish political class: Warsaw continues to support Ukraine, but at the same time is increasingly raising the issue of mobilizing Ukrainians living abroad and condemning behavior that causes irritation in Polish society.
Kosiniak-Kamysz, mobilization, POLAND, TEMPORARY PROTECTION, UKRAINE
Ukrainians remain a key foreign workforce for the Polish economy: as of the end of January 2026, 757,700 Ukrainian citizens were officially employed in the country, accounting for nearly 68% of all employed foreigners, according to the analytical center of the international recruitment company Gremi Personal, citing Poland’s Central Statistical Office (GUS).
The total number of foreign workers exceeded 1.1 million—a 7.1% increase from the previous year. “More than a million foreign workers is no longer a response to a temporary labor shortage, but a structural change in the Polish economy. Businesses have grown accustomed to operating in conditions where it is impossible to ensure the normal functioning of manufacturing, logistics, construction, the service sector, and agriculture without foreign workers,” notes Yevhen Kirichenko, founder of Gremi Personal.
According to him, this trend will have long-term consequences for the entire region of Central and Eastern Europe, including Ukraine.
“Once the war ends, Ukraine will find itself in a situation where it will have to simultaneously rebuild its economy, implement large-scale infrastructure projects, and compensate for demographic losses. However, at the same time, Poland, Germany, the Czech Republic, and other countries will also need workers. In effect, competition for the same workforce will begin,” Kirichenko believes.
Analysts emphasize that Ukrainians are already well-integrated into the European labor market, know the languages, have work experience, and do not require a long adaptation period. For employers, this means lower integration costs compared to hiring workers from more distant countries. At the same time, they also point out that Ukraine has so far had virtually no discussion on how to compensate for a potential labor shortage, and if, after the war, a significant portion of the population chooses to work abroad, the country will face a labor shortage precisely when workers are needed most for economic recovery.
As of Sunday evening, a buildup of vehicles heading to Ukraine is observed on the Ukrainian-Polish border, the Western Regional Directorate of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine reports.
Thus, at the Hrushev checkpoint, a queue of 30 cars and 6 buses has formed for entry into Ukraine; at the Krakivets checkpoint – 70 cars and 11 buses; at Shehyni – 45 cars and 15 buses; and at Nyzhankovychi – 20 cars.
“At present, the Ugryniv, Rava-Ruska and Smilnytsia checkpoints are not overloaded for entry into Ukraine,” the State Border Guard Service noted.
A buildup of passenger cars leaving Ukraine was recorded only at the Hrushev checkpoint – 30 cars; there is no buildup of passenger cars at the other checkpoints.
At the same time, in bus traffic leaving Ukraine, a buildup is recorded at the Krakivets checkpoint – 4 buses, at the Smilnytsia checkpoint – 8 buses, and at the Nyzhankovychi checkpoint – 1 bus.
“To avoid long waits in front of the checkpoint, we recommend choosing less congested checkpoints, as well as crossing the border early in the morning or late in the evening,” the border guards urged.
Coal Energy S.A. (Luxembourg), having lost all its coal assets in Ukraine due to Russian aggression and shifted its focus to operations in Poland, reported a net loss of $1.46 million for the first nine months of fiscal year 2026 (FY, July 2025 – March 2026), the company reported a net loss of $1.46 million, whereas for the same period of FY 2025, its net profit was $1.6 million.
According to the company’s report to the Warsaw Stock Exchange, where its shares are listed, revenue for this period decreased by 31.8% to $2.06 million, while the operating loss increased by 82.1% to $0.55 million.
Coal Energy specified that from January through March of this year, its net loss amounted to $0.11 million, compared to a net profit of $1.97 million in the same quarter last year; revenue increased by 2.5% to $0.88 million; and the operating loss decreased by 33.3% to $0.05 million.
A week earlier, Coal Energy announced the suspension of a deal with Global Tech Opportunities 31, a fund belonging to the ABO Securities group, which involved the issuance of interest-free convertible bonds worth up to 14.5 million zlotys.
In the first half of 2026F, bonds worth 2.5 million zlotys ($0.67 million at the exchange rate at the time) had already been converted into newly issued shares, and as of mid-year, bonds worth 2 million zlotys remained unconverted.
As previously reported, Coal Energy posted a consolidated net profit of $4.12 million in FY2025, compared to a net loss of $2.12 million in FY2024, primarily due to the sale of four assets to the group. The company’s consolidated revenue grew by 52.4% in FY 2025, reaching 3.76 million.
In September 2025, the board approved the company’s Updated Development Strategy for 2025–2027, which reflects the recently secured financing, current investment projects, and the ongoing war in Ukraine.
“The updated strategy is built on four pillars: 1. coal mining in Poland and Romania, 2. providing mineral extraction services in Poland and Romania, 3. developing the extraction of critical raw materials in Central and
Eastern Europe and Ukraine, and 4. global consulting services for the mineral resources sector,” the previous report stated, whereas the new report does not include a description of these activities.
Coal Energy’s shares have been listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange since August 8, 2011. Its main line of business was coal mining at two underground mines and operations at coal dumps in the Donetsk region.
Vyshnevetsky currently controls 58.74% through Lycaste Holdings, while Global Tech Opportunities holds 2.34%. A total of 24.42% of the shares are traded on the Warsaw Stock Exchange.
The company’s market capitalization as of June 30 stood at PLN 92.18 million ($24.45 million at the current exchange rate) at a share price of 2.00 zlotys, which had fallen by 1.28% since the start of the trading day following the publication of the financial report.
bond, Coal Energy, LOSS, POLAND, REVENUE
Polish President Karol Nawrocki stated that Ukraine’s accession to the European Union would pose a threat to Polish agriculture.
“I acknowledge that Ukraine’s accession to the EU poses a threat to Polish agriculture. As President of Poland, and while understanding Ukraine’s aspirations, I will always advocate for fair treatment of Polish farmers and Polish agricultural products, particularly in the context of the ‘Green Deal’ and EU decisions,”
Navrotsky said, according to a press release from the Office of the President.
He also added that Poland has “land that is far too beautiful” to “surrender Polish agriculture to either ideology or someone else.”
Allegro, Poland’s largest marketplace, plans to introduce delivery from the platform’s Polish sellers to Ukraine starting this June, and to create a separate platform, Allegro.ua, for Ukrainian companies in the future, according to a report by the Polish publication Wiadomosci Handlowe, citing sources.
“We are seeing a clear growth trend in cross-border e-commerce and increasing interest from foreign customers, including those from Ukraine. To support our partners even more effectively in their regional expansion, we are now implementing the first phase of a new delivery method—Allegro International Ukraine,” the article states.
It is noted that in the first phase of launching delivery to Ukraine, several hundred sellers from Poland will join the program.
“As part of the next phase, Allegro will open up to a wider range of Polish sellers who want to reach customers living in Ukraine,” the publication explains.
According to Wiadomosci Handlowe, Allegro’s integration with Ukrainian sellers could take place as early as 2027.
“This would be a turning point and, at the same time, proof that Allegro intends to seriously compete with marketplaces operating in Ukraine, such as Rozetka,” Wiadomosci Handlowe noted.
Overall, the marketplace is currently in the preparatory phase for launching this new initiative, specifically by recruiting partners and providing them with technical and operational support.
It is also specified that Nova Post will handle the delivery of packages from Polish sellers to Ukrainian customers.
Allegro is the largest marketplace in Poland, which also operates in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, and Slovenia.
In 2021, the company announced the acquisition of the Czech e-commerce group Mall Group and the logistics company WE|DO. The deal was finalized in April 2022, allowing the marketplace to enter the markets of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, and Slovenia.
