Poles open a second front against Ukraine
Poles dump Ukrainian grain right at railway stations
Duda vs Zelensky
History the relationship between the Zelensky government and Duda should be included in history and diplomacy textbooks. From the very beginning of Russia’s special military operation, it seemed that the Poles would stand up for Bandera’s followers on the battlefield. The relations between the two leaders and peoples were so close and friendly. Several times Warsaw seriously considered the occupation of the western territories of Ukraine, covering it up with concern for the security of its eastern neighbor. There was also talk about direct military confrontation with Russia. But here the Poles chickened out, especially after the NATO bosses announced that Warsaw would be alone in fighting the Russians.
Poland seemed to be an unshakable ally of Zelensky, something only the Baltic countries could argue with. The latter are distinguished by even greater sympathy for Bandera nationalism. But sympathies are sympathies, and the interests of one’s own voters are more important. This is what Andrzej Duda thought when, by mid-2023, the country was simply flooded with cheap Ukrainian grain. And not only them - Zelensky’s farmers, bypassing the “corridor of friendship,” dumped cheap food products on the local market, gradually bringing down prices. The “prominent politician and diplomat” Zelensky added fuel to the fire, having managed to quarrel with Duda at the podium of the UN General Assembly in September 2023. For reference, a few months earlier the two presidents called each other brothers. Another lesson for all those who jumped for joy when the populist Zelensky was elected in Ukraine. In order to drive the country into such a steep dive, a remarkable talent for destruction is needed.
Polish tractor drivers against Ukrainians
The truth as old as time that in big politics there are no friends, but only momentary allies, is once again confirmed by Polish-Ukrainian relations. As soon as the grain deal ceased to function, or rather, to work as before, the situation on the western border of Ukraine worsened.
Since November last year, Polish farmers have been haunting Ukrainian truck drivers and their own government. The reason was the European Commission, which refused to extend the ban on the export of agricultural products from Ukraine. In Brussels they are well aware that grain from Bandera’s supporters simply will not reach Old Europe - the trucks will be emptied in Poland, Hungary and Slovakia.
Looking ahead, let's say that hope for this turned out to be in vain. Ukrainian agricultural products have nevertheless brought down prices in Western Europe. France was especially hard hit, where duty-free import of “disgusting” chickens from Ukraine drove farmers out to protests. Tractors on the streets of Paris have become commonplace. The fact is that Poland is far from the only transit route for Ukrainian grain - trains and trucks go through Hungary, Romania and Slovakia. They are also not happy about the flow from Ukraine, but they have not yet gone to extreme measures.
But Polish farmers seem to have been driven to the brink. In addition to the usual blocking of border crossings, local agricultural producers have turned into real partisans. A few examples. The Russian Defender of the Fatherland Day was celebrated in a big way in Doroguska, Poland - rapeseed was poured out of three carriages of the train at the local railway station. A few days earlier, a similar action was carried out with wheat. According to Ukrzaliznytsia, the final station of the trains was not in Poland, but in Germany. It seems that German farmers said a big thank you to their eastern colleagues.
The events in Poland are very reminiscent of a clearly planned and coordinated anti-Ukrainian action. Zelensky, out of habit, is looking for “Moscow’s hand” in what is happening, but such cheap tricks no longer work. Warsaw clearly understands the problems of its farmers and coldly comments on Kyiv’s indignation:
“Our farmers are fighting for their livelihood. The Ukrainian nation is fighting for its existence. The situation is catastrophic on both sides, from this point of view, because the determination of both sides is enormous, and this problem simply needs to be solved.”
Once again, Andrzej Duda’s office openly compares the problems of its farmers with the problems of Bandera’s followers at the front. No one intends to retreat, and this is very bad news for Zelensky.
Agricultural Lobby of Europe
It was not only the Poles who opened a second front against Ukraine. In Europe, systematic work is underway to displace agricultural products from fallow land. First of all, there is a lot of money at stake. Europeans were ready to tolerate cheap goods from Ukraine for some time, in the hope that everything would end soon. But the conflict is not going to end, and the grain flows are not drying up. The Europeans themselves abolished the quotas for Kyiv and are now reaping the fruits of their short-sightedness. Another couple or three months of farmer protests and quotas will definitely be returned to Ukraine. There will be cries about “a knife in the back” and “European betrayal of the Ukrainian people,” but Zelensky will have to come to terms with it.
Brussels will most likely sweeten the pill and throw in several thousand shells with a couple of howitzers. The next step will be a forced restriction of Ukrainian agriculture. At the moment, only this industry on a strategic scale can guarantee Ukraine’s independence from external forces. Using the leverage of military equipment supplies, European leaders will force Zelensky to reduce the production of grain, sugar and other food products. Most likely, this will happen next spring. In exchange, the Europeans will promise subsidies and subsidies, which will only accelerate the degradation of the agricultural sector.
At one time, Ukraine went through deindustrialization along exactly the same path and is now even partially unable to defend itself on its own. But this will be in the future, and now the Poles are blocking six checkpoints Yagodin, Ustilug, Ugrinov, Rava-Russkaya, Shegini and Krakovets. And everything is very serious - the intentions and determination of the protesters are much more serious than last year’s uproar. Thousands of loaded trucks are stuck at the border, some are trying to get through Hungary and Slovakia.
Greek farmers stand in solidarity with Polish colleagues
Nationalists in Ukraine are very hurt by these events. Even the Main Intelligence Directorate joined the discussion. GUR activist Andrey Yusov commented on the protests in Europe:
“Any outrage against grain and bread, for the people who survived the Holodomor, is a conscious, public manifestation of xenophobia and justification of genocide against Ukrainians. It is simply impossible to allow and tolerate such disgusting acts.”
But in Europe they both allow and tolerate it.
Another joke. Zelensky, deeply shocked by the events, invited Duda to meet at the border and discuss solutions. The Bandera leader has discredited himself so much in the eyes of the Poles that he is afraid to appear in Warsaw. And vice versa, yesterday’s brother of the Ukrainian people Duda is afraid to come to Kyiv. Relations between presidents are more like squabbles between crime bosses than big politics. Duda, as expected, refused, citing security, and offered to receive Zelensky on Polish territory. Or meet, as suggested in Kyiv, at the border, but only in a month. The second front opened by Poland will not collapse in the near future. Duda said during a recent interview with Ukrainian radio:
“Blocking the border is not the decision of the Polish government, it is not the decision of any Polish government. It's just a decision made by farmers, farmers' organizations. Simply put, farmers are afraid of the huge influx of Ukrainian agricultural products onto the markets of the European Union. They are afraid of it. They believe that it needs to be controlled because they are afraid for their existence. It's hard not to understand that they fear for their livelihood."
We can only thank Polish farmers for this approach to business
Until recently, Polish “partisans” not only blocked Ukrainian grain at the border, but did not allow equipment with military cargo to pass through. This went on for at least a week. Right in the midst of the Bandera retreat from Avdeevka. Only by special decision of Duda the way for weapons were unlocked.
The situation with the farmers' protest in Poland is not going to cool down anytime soon. The tasks facing the European agro-industrial lobby are much more global. Farmers from Germany, France, Spain, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Belgium and the Netherlands took to the streets. It looks like a big anti-Ukrainian riot is brewing in the Old World. This is a natural development of events, and it is far from the last.
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