Slovak truckers announce blockade on Ukraine border starting Dec. 1

Slovakia’s Union of Slovak carriers (UNAS) on Nov. 27 announced its plans to block the Vyšné Nemecké crossing on the border with Uzhhorod in western Ukraine, the organization said on Facebook.

Tensions between Slovakia, Poland, and Ukraine have risen after Polish truckers and farmers started a blockade of some of the busiest border checkpoints with Ukraine.

Some of that traffic has been diverted through Slovakia, causing major traffic hiccups.

Polish truckers say they are at a severe disadvantage because their Ukrainian counterparts do not need to purchase expensive permits to enter the EU. They want the licensing requirements to be reinstated.

Four border crossings linking Ukraine to Poland are now blocked in total, in the protest that began early November.

Local media reported that two Ukrainian drivers, aged 54 and 56, died while waiting at the border.

Around 2,700 trucks were stuck at the border, Euronews reported on Nov. 28.

Trucker protests: Unraveling the standoff between Polish and Ukrainian haulers

As Polish protests blocking three major Poland-Ukraine border crossings stretch into their third week, negotiations to bring an end to the blockade have all but failed. Exhausted drivers are stuck in massive lines on both sides of the border, with expected waiting times reaching over one month at t…

The Kyiv IndependentDominic Culverwell