Ukraine urges Poland to find, punish those behind grain spills near border

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) – Kyiv on Monday urged neighboring Warsaw to “find and punish” those responsible for grain spills on the Ukrainian-Polish border.

“Those who have damaged Ukrainian grain must be found, neutralized, and punished. Two friendly civilized European states are interested in this,” Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said on X.

Expressing that the Infrastructure Ministry and Ukraine’s Embassy in Warsaw are in contact with Polish police with regards to the grain spill near the city of Bydgoszcz, Kubrakov said the embassy sent a note to Polish authorities demanding that those guilty must be found and punished.

“The police have already taken procedural steps on the spot. The police commissariat in Bydgoszcz is handling the case. We are keeping it under control,” he added.

In an earlier statement on X late Sunday, Kubrakov posted pictures showing 160 tons of spilled Ukrainian grain, saying the grain was in transit to the port city of Gdansk.

Indicating that this is the fourth such case of spilling of Ukrainian grain, Kubrakov described the incident as the fourth case of “impunity and irresponsibility.”

“How long will the government and the Polish police allow this vandalism to continue? Once again, all these agricultural products are transported in sealed railcars and are in transit to other countries. We are strictly following the law. And you?” he questioned.

Protests are taking place in several hundred towns across Poland to oppose the European Union's agricultural policy, the Green Deal, and duty-free import of agri-food goods from Ukraine.

Polish farmers intensified their protest by blocking rail transport in the village of Medyka on the Ukrainian border and pouring grain from incoming Ukrainian wagons onto rail tracks last Wednesday, drawing criticism from Kyiv.