Polish Border Protests Hinder Vital Deliveries to Ukraine

Serhiy Derkach, Deputy Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine, stated that on the Polish side of the border, strikers are preventing trucks carrying humanitarian aid bound for Ukraine from passing through checkpoints.

On his Facebook page, Derkach maintains that the claim by Polish carriers they are allowing humanitarian aid and dangerous goods through “does not correspond to reality.”

“We have documented numerous instances where fuel tankers and humanitarian trucks are stuck in queues,” the deputy minister says.

In a personal conversation with the deputy minister, Polish border guards assured him that at the checkpoints of Korchova, Krakowiec and Grebenne - Rava Ruska, they are giving priority to allow flammable trucks, vans with perishable products, and humanitarian aid for Ukraine to pass through.

However, the news outlet Ukrinform reports speaking to Ukrainian drivers who claim that this is not the case.

Two trucks from Ivano-Frankivsk, carrying humanitarian aid from the Netherlands, were directed to the “slump” by the Korchova-Krakivets border guards, placed in the live queue and have been waiting for four days to transport medical equipment to Kropyvnytsky and Lubny.

The driver of one truck, Vasyl Boyko, stated that he is transporting beds, wheelchairs, medical equipment, mattresses, blankets, and disinfectants for the hospital.

“The police told us to leave the queue, but at the checkpoint itself, they instructed us to turn around, register, and find parking. But there are no available spaces. So, we found one near Yaroslavl, about 40 kilometers from the border, and we are waiting,” he said.

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Ukrinform highlights the fact that tankers with oil products, gas, and other dangerous substances are standing in overcrowded parking lots and by the roadside.

The representative of the transportation company from Lviv, Taras Svitlyk, says that the Polish police understand the danger, as “it can create an emergency situation if one explodes… but [they] throw up their hands and say that they have no influence on this.”

Derkach emphasizes that he is forwarding information about such situations to his colleagues from the Ministry of Infrastructure of Poland for a response.

“We are awaiting a response regarding how this aligns with statements about the unhindered crossing of such cargoes,” the message reads.

The renowned aerial scout with the call sign “Madyar,” the commander of the “Birds of Madyar” group, also drew attention to the problems resulting from the blocking of Polish carriers at the border on his Nov 9 video message on Telegram.

Reporting on the supply of the necessary equipment for assault boats for the marine units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, he stated that “some cataclysms are happening on the Polish-Ukrainian border, strikes, 40 km queues.”

According to him, the vehicle transporting 50 Japanese Suzuki engines destined for the boats experienced a 4-day delay at the border before being allowed to move towards the frontline.

In his video, the military officer emphasize how important the timely provision of everything necessary to the marines, who are currently pushing back the Russians on the left bank of the Dnipro has become.

On Sunday, the spokesperson of the State Border Service, Andriy Demchenko, reported that 2,800 trucks were blocked at three checkpoints on the border with Poland which by Monday had grown to more than 2,900.

Representatives of trucking associations in Central Europe urged the European Union to terminate a transport agreement with Ukraine, citing what they perceive as unjust competition arising from the conflict-ridden nation. The normal system was suspended by the bloc in the aftermath of Russia's assault on Ukraine.

The collective statement, endorsed by the presidents of road transport associations in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, and Slovakia, was directed to their respective transport ministers and the European Commission.

Starting on Nov. 6, Polish carriers have blocked all checkpoints on the border between Ukraine and Poland, citing excessive competition due to the “liberalization of international transportation between Ukraine and the EU.” Truckers primarily demand a return to the permit system for Ukraine, which Kyiv has firmly refused, stating that this demand cannot be met.

On Nov. 9, Ukraine's Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov stated that more than 20,000 vehicles were blocked on both sides of the Ukrainian-Polish border.

Polish carriers had also refused to unblock the border following direct negotiations with Ukrainian officials on Nov. 13.

On November 16, Polish freight carriers rejected a solution to the impasse jointly proposed by the European Commission, Kyiv, and Warsaw and chose to continue blocking the border with Ukraine.

Ukraine’s Ministry of Infrastructure has said that the blockade affects not only the companies of Ukraine and Poland but also those of other countries, including those in the wider EU, unable to transport goods and meet contractual obligations, causing significant losses.