According to the State Border Service of Ukraine and the Border Service of Poland, the blocking of bus traffic at the Medyka-Shehyni checkpoint began at around 11:10 a.m., the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine reports.
Polish protesters stopped traffic on the road in front of the Medyka checkpoint. It is known that they will let one bus through every two hours, both to enter and leave. It is not known how long the blockade will last.
"Less than 10 days ago, the Polish police reported that passenger buses were crossing the border without any obstacles. What do we see today? The strikers are blocking traffic on the road in front of the Medyka border crossing point, which is adjacent to the Ukrainian Shehyni border crossing point. Dear Minister, Mr Marcin Kierwinski, why do you allow this? Should people be held hostage to political confrontations in a civilised country?" the ministry quoted Oleksandr Kubrakov as saying.
- The day before, Polish farmers announced large-scale protests across the country on 20 March. It was noted that they were planning rallies with agricultural machinery and blockades in about 400 places. A dozen important roads on the way to Warsaw will also be affected.
- For months, Polish farmers have been blockading the border with Ukraine, accusing Ukrainian agricultural products of affecting their market. They have also been protesting over unrelated EU environmental regulations.