Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski has rebuked US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for downplaying NATO allies’ role in Afghanistan. 

Speaking to new recruits at the University of Tennessee on Saturday, Hegseth recalled serving as a captain in Afghanistan and questioned whether NATO allies had meaningfully participated in combat operations. 

Describing the alliance’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission, Hegseth said that although dozens of countries displayed their flags at its headquarters in Kabul, only a handful contributed to fighting. 

These are LEW EL2 electric locos, built in Hennigsdorf (East Germany) for open-pit mine railways. Poles called them "Krokodyle" – Crocodiles. The first 16 arrived at the Konin lignite mine in 1958, and they hauled coal from the pits to the power plants there for the next 68 years.

A few things that make them unusual:

- Bo'Bo', 4 × 350 kW, top speed 65 km/h – slow, but built to drag heavy coal trains

- besides the roof pantograph they have side pantographs, because the tracks inside the pit were shifted as the mine face moved and the catenary hung beside the track, not above it

- the one in the middle was hand-painted in 2025 by Ion Barbu, a Romanian artist and retired miner, as part of the "Just Transition Culture" project about coal regions moving away from mining – it kept working in this livery until the very end

Their Polish service ended on 30 April 2026, together with coal extraction at Konin. On 18 April we ran a farewell photo train for enthusiasts – the only train on the whole network that day.

The story isn't completely over: across the border in Lusatia (Germany), LEAG still runs around 50 modernised EL2m on its coal railway.

Happy to answer questions about the locos or the network.

https://www.perunsys.pl

Most likely targeting infrastructure on Ukrainian side.

Poland could move border checks with Ukraine onto its own territory if Russian attacks make crossings on the Ukrainian side too dangerous, but only if the two countries conduct the checks jointly, the Interior Ministry has said. 

The ministry told the Polish Press Agency on Monday that it was open to the arrangement but stressed that no decision had been made. 

The proposal would allow traffic to continue if Russian strikes damage border infrastructure in Ukraine while protecting border staff from attack. 

I’m a foreigner, living in Poland for over 5 years now however soon I’m going with my partner to a wedding and I want to make sure I know the culture

I was thinking to wear a regular black suit with white shirt and burgundy/mid blue krawat or maybe a butterfly tie is better? I’m 29 years old

What are the dos and don’t?

Thank You!

Hey, im in my early 20s wanting to visit poland. I was born there and spent my very early years there. Since my family and I moved to norway close to 20 years ago now ive rarely been able to visit, especially after some family isssues. Now that im financially independent and all that id love to visit, but im unsure about time of year. Im thinking about march or april since i wouldnt mind the chilly weather as im used to it as a norwegian.
I dont want to have a proper "plan" for what im going to do once im there, i just wanna go with the flow, wake up early/late, have some breakfast, wander around and admite my surroundings, and just do whatever i feel like doing.
Any cities or places anyone would recomend for that?

Hi, I need to replace the battery and upgrade the RAM in my Asus VivoBook S430FA laptop. Since it's an older model, can you recommend a reputable repair shop in Wrocław that uses original parts and offers a warranty? Thanks in advance for your help!

Hello,

I am planning a 7 day trip - start by flying into Gdansk and then finishing flying out of Wroclaw.

Thinking of visiting Gdanks, Poznan and Wroclaw. Getting mixed reviews about Poznan - is there anything you would swap it out for e.g. Torun? How many days do you think for each place?

I (Polish citizen with settled status in the UK) am going to get married to a British citizen in the UK in 2028. I was wondering if anyone knows of any parts of the legal process on the Polish side that I may need to be aware of?

Hi everyone,
I'm currently looking into buying a used car in Poland and would love to hear from people with firsthand experience on the Polish market.

A few specific things I'm curious about:

1. Overall Market Reality: How is the used car market right now? Are cars generally maintained well, or is deferred maintenance / cutting corners common?

2 Pricing & "Deals": Are advertised prices realistic, or inflated with expectation of heavy haggling? Is finding a genuine "bargain" actually realistic, or is a lower price almost always a guarantee of hidden issues?

1. ASO (Authorized Service Stations): How trustworthy is an ASO service history / pre-purchase inspection in Poland? Does full ASO history actually guarantee a trouble-free car, or do people still find workarounds (e.g., outside repairs after crashes, fake entries, blind spots during inspections)?

2. Key Red Flags & Tips: What are the typical tricks used by private sellers vs. dealerships/ traders (komisy / handlarze)? Which verification tools (e.g., historiapojazdu.gov.pl, paid VIN reports) are considered mandatory before visiting?

Any advice, experiences, or recommendations on what to double-check would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.

Hey everyone!

A friend and I are planning a 5-day trip to Poland in November (9th–14th) and are looking for recommendations on where to head.

We’re into art, modern design, indie fashion, alternative music/nightlife, and natural wine. We’ve been thinking about Warsaw, Łódź, or Wrocław, but we’re completely open to other cities if there's a better fit for our vibe!

What we’re looking for:
• Accommodation: A cool boutique hotel with spa/wellness facilities (sauna, pool, etc.) or a stylish Airbnb loft. Ideally something offering two connecting rooms or a spacious 2-bedroom setup. Budget is up to €700 per person max for the stay.
• Food & Wine: Spots with a great natural/low-intervention wine selection and casual, trendy dining.
• Vibe: Creative, young, local culture hubs, galleries, or cool industrial spaces rather than generic tourist sights.

Which city and stay would you recommend for a trip like this? Would love to hear your favorite spots or hidden gems! Thanks a lot!

Hey everyone,

I applied for my Temporary Residence Card (TRC) in Warsaw, Poland back on August 17, 2026, through an advocate provided by my company.

Since the day it was submitted until today, my application status in the portal has just been showing "Uploaded" .

I wanted to ask those who have gone through this recently:

1. How long does it usually take for the status to change from "Uploaded" to the next stage?

2. What are the next actual steps in the approval process after this?

3. How long does it typically take to get the appointment for fingerprints, and what is the realistic timeline from fingerprints to actually collecting the TRC plastic card?

For context, my application was submitted in Warsaw (Mazowieckie Voivodeship).

I’d really appreciate any insights or recent timeline experiences you can share!

Thanks in advance!

Hey guys! I’m the son of Polish parents, and I’ve always been interested in how the Polish economy has evolved since the fall of communism.

Recently, I was looking at a chart showing the evolution of Polish wages in euros, and I was surprised to see that, since the pandemic, wages in euro terms have increased dramatically by around 90% in just five years, lol!!!

I’m curious: How Polish companies are dealing this huge rise in costs? Are they struggling to stay competitive? Do they feel the zloty is way too strong?

With the zloty this strong, are foreign products flooding the Polish market? And are more Poles going abroad on holiday?

Is this situation sustainable, or will the zloty eventually have to depreciate to offset this massive increase in costs?

And on top of all that, the oil shock is driving business costs up even more!