Ukraine Urges Poland to Penalize Perpetrators of Grain Destruction Amidst Farmer Protests

Ukraine has demanded punishment for the destruction of grain caused by the protests of Polish farmers.

Ukrainian Minister of Infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakov urged Poland on the 26th (local time) to punish those responsible for the leakage of Ukrainian grain cargo at the border last weekend.

“We must find and neutralize those who damaged Ukrainian grain and punish them,” Kubrakov stated in a social media post. “Two European countries with friendly relations are interested in this matter.”

Polish farmers blocked the border with Ukraine and highways last Sunday. They damaged 160 tons of Ukrainian grain from train cargo cars in protest of unfair competition from Ukraine’s and the European Union’s environmental regulations.

In response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, “While it is important to maintain a close relationship with Poland, Kyiv is ready to defend the companies that have suffered damage due to the border blockade by Polish protesters.”

Also, Andriy Demchenko, the spokesperson for the Ukrainian border control agency, said, “Unfortunately, the blockade is still ongoing,” and “A total of 2,200 large trucks are waiting in Polish territory, and farmers are allowing several vehicles to pass in both directions every hour, causing more trucks from Ukraine to be blocked.”

Ukraine announced that the blockade had caused severe economic losses by disrupting increased cross-border transportation due to the war with Russia and the blockage of key import and export routes through the Black Sea.

Farmers across Europe have been protesting various complaints, including unfair competition from abroad, especially Ukraine after the European Union decided to exempt tariffs on Ukrainian food imports in the face of a war with Russia in 2022.