Polish protesters deliver promise, blocking and spilling Ukrainian cargo
The escalation of protests that Polish farmers announced a few days ago is occurring. Protesters gathered at the Medyka freight station on the Polish-Ukrainian border and targeted wagons carrying grain destined for Germany. Specifically, they opened the hatches of two freight wagons and spilt over the contained cargo. Ukrainian Railways expressed their dismay and called for “an end to illegal activities”.
Polish farmers have long been on the road protesting against the EU’s relaxed import and transit restrictions on Ukrainian goods. After a brief pause in the protest blockades following a January compensation deal with the Polish government, Polish farmers returned to their blockades on 9 February. Now, the blockades also target rail transportation of Ukrainian agricultural goods.
Those protesting said last week that they aim to undermine the rail hub at Hrubieszów. Nevertheless, their actions focused also on the Medyka rail hub, targeting freight trains carrying Ukrainian grain. Before that, they also attempted to block two more trains from transiting through Poland.
According to Ukrainian Railways, at the moment, there are approximately 40 freight cars in Medyka waiting for transhipment to continue their trip to Europe. However, chances are high that Polish protesters will keep them blocked, while they could also do the same to more freight trains approaching the border.
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