Over 3,000 trucks in queue: Updates on border situation with Poland
Photo: Andrii Demchenko, spokesperson of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (Facebook page of Andriy Demchenko)
As of this morning, February 17th, Polish protesters continue to block traffic on 6 routes. Approximately 3,300 trucks are queued up at the Ukrainian entry points, according to the spokesperson for the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (SBGS), Andrii Demchenko.
As the spokesperson for the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (SBGS), Andrii Demchenko, reminded, yesterday, Polish protesters also began blocking the direction of the Krakivets checkpoint.
"As of this morning, in the queues on the other side of the border, towards our country, in total across these six routes, there are about 3,300 freight transports," Demchenko said.
According to him, there are also thousands of trucks queued up to leave Ukraine. However, in this case, drivers do not need to be physically present at the border, and thanks to the "eQueue" system, they can wait in more comfortable locations for border crossing.
The longest queue, as the spokesperson described, is at the Krakivets checkpoint - approximately 1600 trucks, as well as towards the Yahodyn checkpoint - about 550 trucks.
Shehyni
During the past day, 45 trucks crossed the border, 25 of which were heading towards Ukraine. Essentially, one truck crossed the border into our country per hour.
Yahodyn
140 trucks crossed the border during the day, of which 108 were heading towards Ukraine.
Krakivets
"As for Krakivets, we will see a bit later (the intensity of border crossing), yesterday a significant number of freight transports could still cross the border. In addition, there was a certain number of freight transports that were behind the protesters. Therefore, we will be able to talk about the traffic intensity tomorrow (February 18th), when we see the statistics for today," explained Demchenko.
Ukrainian border blockade
On November 6, 2023, Polish carriers initiated strikes at the border with Ukraine. Polish protesters demanded the reinstatement of the pass system for Ukrainian carriers.
In January, the Polish government signed an agreement with carriers to unblock the border with Ukraine. Under the agreement, the parties agreed to suspend protests at the approaches to three border crossings until March 1.
In late January, the European Commission recommended extending the suspension of import duties for agricultural goods from Ukraine until 2024. Polish farmers immediately declared their opposition to this decision and announced strikes.
As of the morning of February 16, five border crossings - Yahodyn, Rava-Ruska, Shehyni, Ustyluh, and Ugryniv - were blocked. However, later, protesters also blocked the sixth border crossing - Krakivets.
