The situation on the border with Poland is worsening, with thousands of trucks and new protests

Polish activists blocked all 4 checkpoints for trucks weighing more than 7.5 tons. A queue of thousands of trucks has formed at the border, and the situation is only getting worse. Farmers joined the protesting carriers, and the action was extended until February 1.

Local farmers led by the Deceived Village Association joined the protest of Polish carriers at the Medyka-Shehyni checkpoint. According to Danylo Hetmantsev, MP from the Servant of the People party, they are blocking truck traffic from both directions, constantly moving across the pedestrian crossing.

The MP emphasized that the current transportation rules were adopted at the level of the European Union and are binding on all its member states. That includes the rules of customs policy. Therefore, this is "not a matter for Poland, Slovakia or any other country."

The second fatality was recorded on the Ukrainian-Polish border. The driver of a car with Kharkiv license plates died. According to the vice president of the Association of International Road Carriers of Ukraine, Volodymyr Balin, the driver died in a parking lot in Korczowa.

At the same time, the Ukrainian side is seeking negotiations with the participation of Poland and the EU. The losses of the carriers are only part of Ukraine's economic losses. As Iryna Kosse, a research fellow at the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting, explained to OBOZ.UA, the losses of the entire Ukrainian economy are much higher, given the failure of companies to fulfill contracts and the suspension of production. Poland also has problems and they are proportional to those of Ukraine. "Polish business will also suffer losses from this blockade. And these losses may be comparable to the Ukrainian ones," the expert noted.

Meanwhile, the strike is only gaining momentum: as of November 24, a queue of thousands of trucks has formed at the border, and four checkpoints have been blocked: Yahodyn-Dorohusk, Rava-Ruska-Hrebenne, Krakovets-Korczowa, and Medyka-Shehyni. Ukraine plans to hold talks with Poland and the European Commission this week to unblock the Ukrainian-Polish border, where "Polish carriers" are rallying.

Who is behind it

Ukrainian carriers claim that only one association of Polish carriers, which had previously been actively working with Russia, supported the border blockade. It was politically represented by Polish politician Rafał Mekler. His party has a small representation in the Sejm. He represents the far right, which is against Poland's integration into the EU and in favor of limiting ties with Ukraine. However, the far-right does not enjoy much support in Poland (it has only 6 seats out of 460 in the parliament).

Mekler represents the far-right party Ruch Narodowy. He actively spreads Russian propaganda fakes about Ukraine, telling his voters about "Banderites." A few days after the outbreak of a full-scale war and the influx of Ukrainian refugees into Poland, he declared the "need to preserve the ethnic system."

According to Mykola Solskyi, Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, the situation is complicated by the specific demands of the strikers. It is "difficult to find any solid arguments that would please them".

As reported by OBOZ.UA, due to the blockade of the border by the Polish far-right, Ukraine's economy is suffering significant losses, in particular, due to a decrease in the number of goods imported into the country. However, there is no need to talk about a critical decline in imports and an impending shortage of certain items as businesses are actively looking for other ways to import goods or offer Ukrainians affordable alternatives.

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