Polish protesters damaged three Ukrainian grain trucks near the Dorohusk border crossing with Ukraine, spilling cargo on the road, Polish station RMF24 reported. Polish police have reportedly launched an investigation per the station’s data.
The Polish protesters, including truck drivers and farmers, have been on-and-off blocking the border crossing points with Ukraine since November 2023 over simmering anger at their government and EU leaders facilitating Ukrainian imports.
Polish protesters damaged 🇺🇦 grain trucks with angle grinders and spilled cargo onto the road at the Dorohusk border crossing.
An on-and-off blockade on the Ukrainian-Polish border has persisted since November 2023 due to protests by Polish haulers.
📹 https://t.co/I8mRjq3WD5 pic.twitter.com/az5RfdnFOI
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) February 11, 2024
According to Ukrainian daily TV-news program TSN, the incident with the trucks occurred on the highway near the border crossing point on the Polish side. Ukrainian truck drivers claim that protesters approached them with angle grinders, which they used to cut locks and compartments. The attackers refused to explain their actions.
The drivers of the damaged vehicles immediately called the police to the scene. However, although the perpetrators were recorded on video, the police did not take any action.
“People took an angle grinder with a battery. And they just wanted to cut the hatch. They broke the seal. And spilled out the grain. At least about three tons spilled out of each truck for sure,” an eyewitness said.
Meanwhile, the EU drafts a resolution to prolong tariff-free trade with Ukraine through mid-2025, rejecting a Polish bid to reinstate duties on certain imports. Warsaw pleaded for a “safeguard clause” enabling individual states to enact protections if afflicted by specific Ukrainian export impacts.
Read more:
- Polish farmers block Ukrainian border checkpoint, promise to block another
- Minister: Some 5,000 trucks left for Poland after Polish truckers suspended border blockade
- Border Service: Romanian formers partially unblock Ukraine border
- Polish carriers end border blockade with Ukraine after two-month standoff