The management of Cersanit has decided to completely halt production at its plant in Zwiahel, Zhytomyr Oblast. Barlinek also stopped production at its factory in Vinnytsia; both companies belong to Michał Sołowow.
Cersanit announced the decision in a statement addressed to contractors and employees, published on the company’s website. According to the WNP portal, the reasons are intense attacks, frequent air raid alarms and the evacuations they trigger, temporary power outages, and extensive damage to the plant. The company notes that under current conditions it is not possible to rebuild it.
Two attacks within a month
According to the statement, quoted by Interia, the Zwiahel plant was attacked by drones on the night of September 11 to 12 and on the night of October 15 to 16. The attacks caused serious damage to the building and key elements of the production lines. All employees who were on the factory grounds at the time were evacuated, and no one was killed or injured.
Already after the first strike, the company reported on its website that restoring production capacity would take at least six months. After the second attack, management concluded that the plant could no longer operate. The company stresses that it cannot guarantee employees safe working conditions. According to the statement, alarms and evacuations occur even several times a day.
Barlinek also suspends work
According to Interia and WNP, Barlinek’s plant in Vinnytsia has also halted production. Barlinek, a manufacturer of wooden flooring, belongs to Michał Sołowow, like Cersanit. Details about the Vinnytsia plant, including any possible damage, have not been described in the available sources.
Scale of presence in Ukraine
According to WNP, the Cersanit Group has operated in Ukraine for over 20 years and employs nearly 1,000 people there in production, sales and other departments. The Zwiahel plant was built in 2007. As Bankier.pl reported, by 2023 the company had invested USD 187 million in its Ukrainian plants, and its revenues in 2025 exceeded UAH 3.7 billion. Cersanit was meant to be the largest investor in Zhytomyr Oblast. The factory produced, among other things, ceramic tiles and sanitary ware under the Cersanit and Opoczno brands.
After the September attack, the Polish Press Agency (PAP) reported that the company was estimating its losses; their amount had not been disclosed as of publication. The company also did not say what will happen to its employees or whether it intends to resume operations in Zwiahel in the future.
What it means
For Polish companies investing in Ukraine, this is an example of how war risk can halt production permanently, not just for the duration of a renovation. For customers in Poland, the direct effects are unclear for now: the companies have not said whether the halt will affect deliveries in Poland or product prices. Cersanit also has plants in Poland and is headquartered in Kielce, but the statement concerns Ukraine only.
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