How Poland replaces Ukrainian agricultural products with Russian ones – investigation by Ukrainska Pravda

The nature of Polish farmers' protests on the Ukrainian border is multifaceted and cannot be explained solely by one factor – such as the elections held at the start of the grain crisis sparked between the two countries, which until recently shared close ties that went beyond just geographic proximity. 

Only one thing is certain: Poland's isolation of Ukrainian agriculture now benefits Russia. Not only because the Kremlin profits from every adversity that Ukraine might face. And not just because Moscow benefits from Ukraine's disputes with its key allies during the full-scale conflict. Not least because Poland uses Russian agricultural products instead of Ukrainian ones.

A few days ago, our film crew was detained by Polish authorities near the Polish-Belarusian border.

We went there to assess the scale of trade between Poland and Belarus.

We left precisely on the eve of the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion, when Polish farmers or those standing behind them completely blocked the border crossing points to Ukraine.

Sometimes even for military equipment and humanitarian assistance.

Discover more in our new story.

Author: Mykhailo Tkach