In Warsaw, Poland, authorities have launched an investigation into the display of a pro-Putin banner during a protest by farmers near the Czech border. The foreign office has expressed concern over the appearance of anti-Ukrainian slogans during the same protest.
The controversial banner read “Putin – sort out Ukraine, Brussels and our government” and was accompanied by a Soviet flag. It was seen on a tractor participating in a protest on a motorway close to the village of Gorzyczki.
Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski mentioned that police swiftly confiscated the banner and that prosecutors are now conducting an investigation. Poland’s foreign ministry issued a statement expressing deep concern about the appearance of anti-Ukrainian slogans and praise for Vladimir Putin and his war during recent agricultural blockades.
The foreign ministry also stated that they believe this could be an attempt by radical and irresponsible groups, possibly influenced by Russian agents, to infiltrate the agricultural protest movement. Adrian Wawrzyniak, a spokesperson for the Solidarity farmers’ union, condemned the banner and denied the suggestion that Russian agents could be trying to manipulate the protest movement.
He claimed that the person who displayed the banner is unrelated to the union. The farmers staged a significant protest on Tuesday, disrupting traffic on the border with Ukraine, leading to tensions with Kyiv.
Farmers from various parts of Europe have been protesting against the restrictions imposed on them by European Union measures to address climate change, citing increasing costs and unfair competition from abroad, particularly Ukraine. Poland’s Agriculture Minister Czeslaw Siekierski stated that the government had invited farmers groups for talks on Monday, while farmers insisted that the government come to them.
As part of their month-long campaign, Polish farmers blocked eight major roads on Wednesday. Police confirmed that protests were ongoing at border crossings to Ukraine in Medyka and Korczowa, but passenger traffic was unaffected and some trucks were allowed to pass through.
In Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy mentioned that he had discussed the situation with ministers and swift actions would be taken. (Reporting by Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk, Alan Charlish, Pawel Florkiewicz in Warsaw, Yuliia Dysa in Gdansk, Editing by Alexandra Hudson)
