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Official: 3 Ukrainian drivers hit by Polish car at border

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Official: 3 Ukrainian drivers hit by Polish car at border
Banners with the demands of the protesting truckers are seen hung on trucks during the blockade of the border crossing to Ukraine near Dorohusk, Poland, on Nov. 6, 2023. (Attila Husejnow/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Three Ukrainian drivers at the Polish border were hit by a car registered in Poland on Dec. 14 and received minor injuries, Ukrainska Pravda reported on Dec. 15, citing comments from Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleh Nikolenko.

Polish truckers have protested and blockaded the border with Ukraine since early November, initially on the grounds that the influx of Ukrainian drivers harmed their livelihoods. Ukrainian officials and industry representatives deny the accusations.

The protests have stretched on for weeks, forcing Ukrainian drivers to endure long wait times at the border as cold weather sets in.

Two Ukrainian truckers have died while waiting at the border. Both of the deaths are thought to be of natural causes.

Nikolenko did not provide specific details about the Dec. 14 incident but said that the Ukrainian consul soon arrived at the scene. The drivers were treated on the spot and did not require hospitalization. They returned to their vehicles shortly after the incident.

It is unknown if the Ukrainian drivers were truckers waiting in line to cross the border.

He added that Polish police had detained the driver who caused the accident, and the incident was being investigated.

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Nate Ostiller

News Editor

Nate Ostiller is a former News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. He works on special projects as a researcher and writer for The Red Line Podcast, covering Eastern Europe and Eurasia, and focused primarily on digital misinformation, memory politics, and ethnic conflict. Nate has a Master’s degree in Russian and Eurasian Studies from the University of Glasgow, and spent two years studying abroad at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Ukraine. Originally from the USA, he is currently based in Tbilisi, Georgia.

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