Blocking of Poland-Ukraine Border: Ukrainian Drivers Protest in Response
On 28 November, several dozen Ukrainian drivers blocked roads in the Polish cities of Przemyśl and Medyka in protest against the four-week-long blockade of border crossing points by Polish drivers. This was reported by RMF FM.
At the entrance to Przemyśl and in Medyka, which is a border settlement, about 30 Ukrainian drivers periodically went to the pedestrian crossing and walked along it continuously for some time, blocking traffic. As a result, significant traffic jams formed on the road. Nevertheless, as noted, the action was held in a calm atmosphere.
The protest was organised on the road No. 28 at the exit from Przemyśl towards the border and on the same road in the border town of Medyka.
The police in Przemyśl told RMF FM that law enforcement officers were at the scene, the protests were peaceful, and their initiators did not hide the fact that they were responding to Polish carriers blocking the passage of Ukrainian heavy trucks.
The new Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Poland, Anna Gębicka, was due to meet with Polish carriers at the Medyka border on Tuesday evening.
As you know, on 6 November, Polish hauliers began an indefinite protest at the border. Among the main demands to the Ukrainian government is the return of the practice of permits for Ukrainian carriers, which was cancelled by the agreement with the European Union until 30 June 2024. The protesters want the agreement to be cancelled and the permit regime to be reinstated from 1 January.
The strike led to a complete halt in traffic at three border crossings between Poland and Ukraine: "Dorohusk-Yagodyn, Korczowa-Krakowiec, and Hrebenne-Rava-Ruska. Queues of Ukrainian trucks have formed at the border for several kilometres, with waiting times of up to 10 days.
On 23 November, Polish farmers joined the carriers' protest and began a blockade of truck traffic at the Medyka-Shehyni checkpoint near Przemyśl.
On Monday, Poland's Ministry of Infrastructure announced that it had addressed Ukraine with a proposal to resolve the situation with the blockade at the border.
As The Gaze previously reported, on 27 November, the Polish government finally responded to the carriers blocking the border with Ukraine.
Only yesterday, Polish Minister of Infrastructure Andrzej Adamczyk responded to the ongoing violation of EU law by Polish carriers and asked Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov to cancel the mandatory registration in the eCherha system for vehicles returning from Ukraine to the EU and unloading at the Zosin-Ustyluh and Nyzhankovychi-Malgovice border crossings.