Grain on the asphalt and a Russian trace: who is behind the protests of Poles on the border of Ukraine

The strike on the border of Ukraine and Poland is fully in Russia's interests, in particular, by playing along with the Kremlin's attempts to create a conflict between Poles and Ukrainians. This is evidenced by the fact that the protest was organized by a representative of the marginal Confederation party, which, among other things, opposes European values, supports Poland's withdrawal from the European Union (EU) and active cooperation with Russia.

This was reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD) on the basis of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC). Analysts note that the party does not have wide support among Poles, and therefore the destructive actions of individual politicians should not affect the partnership and good neighborly relations between Ukraine and Poland.

This refers, in particular, to the incident during the February 11 protests, when strikers poured grain from several Ukrainian trucks onto the road. This action, like many previous ones, was organized by Rafał Mekler, one of the inspirers of the protests, the owner of a logistics company that cooperated with Russia, and the leader of the Lublin-based organization Confederations.

"This political force advocates Poland's withdrawal from the EU, criticizes the deployment of NATO troops in the country and campaigns for better relations with Russia. The party does not enjoy wide support among Poles. Mekler himself ran for the Sejm in 2019, but failed," the CCD states.

In general, Polish nationalists united in the Confederation are the only party that can be called pro-Russian in Poland. In 2019, a representative of the Confederation, Krystof Bosak, called for not building a policy to "anger the Russians." And in 2023, he "issued an invoice" to Ukraine for the assistance provided by Poland. His associate Slawomir Mentzen voiced the slogan "We don't want Jews, gays, abortion, taxes, or the European Union."

However, even a populist statement in which the politician proposed to "abolish" gays, Jews, taxes, and the EU found a response from a small number of voters. "The Confederation is in opposition in Poland. In the last election, it united with a number of fringe parties. This alliance allowed the Confederation to win 17 out of 460 seats in the Sejm.

Rafał Mekler himself is also the leader of the far-right Ukrainophobic party Ruch Narodowy. For years, Mekler and his partners have been telling Poles about "Washington's plans," "the destructive influence of the EU," and so on. Mekler owns the logistics company Rafał Mekler TRANSPORT, which delivered goods to Russia. Since the fall of 2023, he has been personally attending protests on the border of Ukraine and actively promoting his ideas on social media.

As OBOZ.UA reported, on February 12, Polish farmers expanded the blockade of the Ukrainian border. At 10:10, protests began near the Zosin checkpoint. Traffic near the Dovhobychuv checkpoint was also blocked. In addition, the blocking in the direction of the Medyka-Shehyni border crossing was resumed.

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