Polish farmers to block Ukraine border again
Illustrative photo: Traffic will be blocked at the Dolgobychiv-Uhryniv checkpoint (Getty Images)
On January 23, traffic at the Dolgobychiv-Uhryniv border crossing point between Ukraine and Poland will be blocked due to a strike by Polish farmers, according to the State Customs Service of Ukraine.
According to information from the Polish side, Polish farmers plan to stage a strike in front of the Dolgobychiv-Uhryniv checkpoint on January 23.
"It is expected that the blockade of the road leading to the checkpoint from the adjacent side will last from 11:00 to 15:30 Polish time," the report says.
In general, the State Border Service of Ukraine warns that Polish farmers are announcing another protest action throughout the day on January 23. Therefore, Ukrainians are asked to take these circumstances into account and choose alternative checkpoints where there are no farmers' strikes.
Polish farmers periodically block the borders with Ukraine in protest. They can protest against anything, but they block the borders specifically at the checkpoints leading to Ukraine - farmers use such protests as a tool to put pressure on Warsaw.
In particular, on November 23, 2024, Polish farmers began protests near the border with Ukraine, specifically at the Medyka-Shehyni checkpoint. Earlier, Polish farmers announced a strike that was to last from October 8 to December 31, 2024. The reasons for the protests were tax increases in Poland and the EU's signing of a free trade agreement with South American countries.
In the winter of 2023-2024, large-scale protests by farmers blocked almost all checkpoints on the Polish-Ukrainian border. Farmers protested against Ukrainian drivers transporting goods without special permits, despite the fact that Ukraine and the EU have a visa-free transport agreement.
Since then, Polish authorities at the local level have repeatedly banned protesters from blocking roads near border checkpoints, recognizing these facilities as critical infrastructure where protests are prohibited. However, protesters often ignore this ban and continue to hold their demonstrations.
