Poland investigates pro-Russian slogans in farmers' protest

Polish prosecutors have opened an investigation after a pro-Russian banner appeared at a farmers' protest in the country.

Polish farmers on February 20 held a protest on tractors near the village of Gorzyczki, on the border with the Czech Republic. One tractor in the convoy flew a Soviet flag and a banner reading "Mr. Putin, bring order to Ukraine, Brussels and our government ."

Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinsk confirmed the incident, calling it a “disgrace,” and said police had immediately taken down the banner. “Police and the prosecutor’s office are taking action against the person who wrote the banner. Such actions will not be tolerated,” Kierwinsk wrote on X on February 21. Polish media reported that the person who wrote the banner could face up to three years in prison.

"We believe this is an attempt by extremist, irresponsible groups, possibly influenced by Russian agents, to exploit the peasant protest movement," the Polish Foreign Ministry said, adding that Warsaw was concerned about the situation.

Adrian Wawrzyniak, a spokesman for the Polish farmers' union, called the banner "unacceptable" but dismissed the possibility that Russian agents were trying to influence the protest movement. He also said the suspected writer of the banner had no connection to the union.

A banner supporting Mr. Putin appears on a tractor during a protest by Polish farmers in Gorzyczki on February 20. Photo: Reuters — A banner supporting Mr. Putin appears on a tractor during a protest by Polish farmers in Gorzyczki on February 20. Photo: *Reuters*

Polish farmers on February 20 held protests in hundreds of locations across the country to protest the European Union's agricultural policy and the duty-free movement of Ukrainian agricultural products through the bloc. They blocked almost all border areas between the two countries.

Poland was one of the countries that actively supported Ukraine when the conflict broke out in February 2022. However, cheap grain from Ukraine affected the domestic market of Poland and some European countries, causing many difficulties for farmers. The leaders of Poland and Ukraine also made statements attacking each other related to the grain issue.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has criticized Polish farmers' protests as undermining solidarity between the two countries and potentially hindering arms deliveries to Ukraine. He hopes to meet Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk before February 24 to resolve the issue.