Ukrainians feed drivers on the border with Poland as they stuck in a multi-kilometer queue due to the blockade

On November 25, Polish activists continue to block all 4 checkpoints to Ukraine for trucks weighing more than 7.5 tons. The queue at the border is several kilometers long. This has led to the suspension of imports from Poland, as well as a blockade of exports through the neighboring country. Ukrainians arrive at the checkpoints to feed the drivers stuck in the queues.

The situation at the border

Two drivers have already died in the kilometers-long queues during the border blockade. In fact, Ukrainians have found themselves without help, hot meals, and the opportunity to rest and warm up. Ukrainians living near the border began bringing food to the drivers.

The number of trucks in queues on the Ukrainian-Polish border has increased to 11,000 vehicles on both sides. This was reported by LB.ua with reference to the State Customs Service.

The corresponding video appeared on social media. The video was posted by a user with the nickname vallehvalya. At the same time, one of the protest leaders, Polish far-right politician Rafał Mekler, complains about alleged threats from Ukrainians that he receives on social media.

He also reported on talks with the Polish prime minister. "We familiarized the government with the extent of the pathology caused by irresponsible decisions of the EU, as well as unfavorable decisions of the Ukrainian side (eCherha). During the talks, it might have seemed that the Prime Minister was not aware of many negative aspects of relations with Ukraine in the current legal architecture, which I think was supplemented by today's meeting," he said on X (formerly Twitter).

The Ukrainian side is seeking talks involving Poland and the EU. However, the European Commission has not yet confirmed the receipt of a letter requesting a monitoring mission on the Ukrainian-Polish border, Radio Liberty reports. Ukraine proposed that this group should record the situation at the checkpoints: the passage of dangerous goods and humanitarian aid, as well as the conditions under which Ukrainian drivers stay for more than two weeks.

"We see our role in this situation primarily as facilitating discussions between the Polish government, Ukrainian authorities and protesters. We are staying in touch with the governments, and of course we are following the situation on the ground very closely, which is actually surprisingly dire," said Adalbert Jahnz, a spokesman for the European Commission.

Losses of 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 enterprises 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 it is possible that these losses are 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 Shehyni-Medyka. 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 the action

Ukrainian carriers claim that only one association of Polish carriers, which had previously been actively working with Russia, supported the border blockade. Polish politician Rafał Mekler took over the political representation. 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 have much support in Poland (they have only 6 seats out of 460 in the parliament).

Rafał Mekler represents the far-right party Ruch Narodowy. He actively spreads Russian propaganda narratives about Ukraine and "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."

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