The Ukrainian military at the front felt the consequences of blocking the Ukrainian-Polish border due to problems with the supply of military goods.
How the Polish border blockade affected the AFU on the front line
The publication notes that the siege of the Polish-Ukrainian border complicates the conduct of hostilities by the Ukrainian military.
According to one of the Ukrainian soldiers named Oleksandr, in a comment to journalists of the publication, the fighters of his unit are still waiting for a batch of night vision devices because the equipment is stuck at the border.
In order to block the country's borders during a full-scale invasion, they need a complete break from reality. Thus, they also wash their hands in the blood of people who are waiting for the necessary help, the Ukrainian serviceman explains.
At first glance, the dispute is quite simple: Polish truckers are outraged by the low level of competition from Ukrainian drivers, who are not subject to the rules on working hours and wages as drivers from the European Union. Poles also say that Ukrainian customs officials mistreat them.
Polish truckers demand that the European Union restore the permit system for Ukrainian drivers, which was cancelled after the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.
On Sunday, Edward Lucas, a senior fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis, wrote that petty disputes over the rules had gotten out of hand.
With strong political leadership, all of this could be remedied. The economic pain experienced by Polish and other truck drivers needs targeted help, Lucas says.
Instead of settling disputes, the blockade is expanding: Polish farmers are now blocking a fourth central crossing point, and Slovak and Hungarian truckers are joining the protest.
According to Ukrainian officials, as of December 6, approximately 2,950 trucks were stuck on both sides of the Polish border, 650 on the border with Slovakia, and 750 waiting to enter Ukraine from Hungary.
Ukraine and Poland agreed to open a checkpoint on Monday for several trucks leaving Ukraine. Polish and truckers' associations from several other countries still call on the European Union to restore the permit system.
Polish and Ukrainian officials said Thursday that they had agreed to meet behind closed doors on Friday to find a way to end the blockade.
European Commissioner for Transport Adina Valean said she is determined to defend the liberalization of freight transport between Ukraine and the European Union, despite the demands of Polish protesters, making it clear that the permit system will not be restored.
This week, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia ambassadors met with Polish authorities to press them for a solution to end the blockade.
Ukrainian Ambassador to Poland Vasyl Zvarych said on Monday that negotiations are ongoing, and he hopes to reach a compromise. However, he added, "as long as Russian aggression continues, we cannot return to these permits."
What is known about the consequences of the blockade of the Polish-Ukrainian border
The blockade is expected to reduce Ukraine's projected economic growth 2023 by 1%.
Ukrainian military officer Volodymyr Shul, who coordinates volunteer aid for the 63rd AFU Mechanized Brigade, said he does not understand how countries that have a personal interest in Ukraine's victory and have been among its most generous allies can participate in such a blockade at once from the most challenging moments of war.
Experts say that Russia has long been able to manipulate divisions in Western societies and use these cracks to its advantage. The Russians used the problem of freight transportation to portray Ukrainians as ungrateful and undermine their trust.
Ukraine's two other neighbours, Hungary and Slovakia, have pro-Russian leaders. So, they took steps that undermined European solidarity towards Kyiv. The decision of Hungarian and Slovak truckers to join the protests threatens to deepen the burden on Ukraine's already devastated economy.
Road and rail connections are vital for Ukraine. Although medical, military and some food supplies should be excluded from the truckers' blockade, Ukrainian military personnel, volunteers, and business owners say the chaos is beginning to disrupt fragile supply lines.
An AFU serviceman, Oleksandr, said that the struggle at the front remained bloody and brutal, and the blockade of the border added to the feeling that Ukraine had been abandoned.
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