Polish protesters to resume blockade at Ukraine's border, Ukrainian Border Guard warns

Polish truckers plan to restrict freight traffic at the Yahodyn-Dorohusk checkpoint on the Ukrainian border, Ukraine's State Border Guard said on May 12.

The demonstrators will allow one vehicle to enter and another to exit every hour in a protest that could last for four months, Ukrainian border guards said, citing the Polish side.

"Buses and vehicles transporting humanitarian aid will pass unhindered," Ukraine's border guards said.

Over the past few years, Polish truckers, farmers, and other protesters have launched months-long blockades at the Polish-Ukrainian border, largely aimed against Ukrainian agricultural imports and the EU's lifting of most duties on Ukrainian imports in 2022.

The organizers presented the latest protest as an effort to draw attention to the "plight of transport companies and the threat to thousands of jobs."

At noon, Ukrainian border guards reported that traffic was flowing normally. Just over two hours later, Rafal Mekler, a politician from the far-right Confederation party, posted on X: "We are already in Dorohusk. The border is at a standstill."

Mekler shared pictures of himself with trucks and police vehicles in the background.

The mayor of Dorohusk previously banned the blockade at the border crossing, arguing it is a critical infrastructure facility. The District Court in Lublin later overturned this decision.