Polish farmers block railway at Medyka border crossing and spill grain from hopper car
Polish farmers blocked the railway near the Shehyni-Medyka checkpoint and spilled some grain out of a freight train wagon on the morning of 20 February.
Suspilne published photos and videos of the spilled grain. The correspondent said the police arrived at the scene in less than half an hour, after which the farmers unblocked the railway line.
Co-organizer of the protests Roman Kodruv explained the protesters’ actions as driven by "emotions" because farmers were "desperate due to the grain influx from Ukraine."
Polish agency PAP also published photos from the scene.
The previous such incident with spilled grain, which took place at the beginning of the month, involved trucks that were involved in transporting grain further afield through Poland at the Dorohusk checkpoint. The prosecutor's office started an investigation into the protesters’ actions and the Polish government apologised for the incident.
On 20 February, farmers started a large protest across Polish territory, including on the border with Ukraine.
On the eve of the protest, Czeslaw Siekierski, Poland's Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, addressed them in an open letter outlining the ministry's priorities and inviting the protesters to negotiations.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine called the latest anti-Ukrainian actions in Poland unacceptable and called on the Polish authorities to prevent illegal actions against Ukrainian cargo and properly respond to rhetoric that harms bilateral relations.