Journalists from Rayon.in.ua, Yuriy Konkevych and Oleksandr Pilyuk, were deported from Poland after documenting the crossing of trucks between the Kaliningrad region of the Russian Federation and Poland.
This was reported on the media outlet’s website.
Polish law enforcement officers confiscated their equipment, personal belongings, and banned them from entering the Schengen Zone countries for 5 years.
The editorial board of Rayon.in.ua denies allegations of threatening Poland’s national security and calls on international journalistic organizations to protect the rights of its employees.
According to Yuriy Konkevych, Polish border guards did not explain the reason for the deportation, while the Internal Security Agency (ABW) labeled the journalists as “persons threatening the national security of Poland”.
The journalists intended to investigate the topic of cargo transportation from Russia through Poland to Europe, assess the flow of goods, and speak with eyewitnesses and experts.
“Rayon.Overseas went to northern Poland, to the border with the Kaliningrad Oblast of the Russian Federation, to see how gas and grain from Russia still flow through Poland to Europe. We did not encounter any Polish farmer checkpoints there, but instead saw Russian Railways cars. The Polish police detained us and confiscated our property, did not inform the consulate, did not allow us to call Ukraine, and the Internal Security Agency labeled us as persons threatening the national security of Poland and expelled us”, said journalist Yuriy Konkevych.
The editorial board of Rayon.in.ua has independently initiated the process of appealing the deportation.
Earlier, it was reported that Polish law enforcement officers detained Mykhailo Tkach near the Polish-Belarusian border. The journalist was also filming material about transit of goods between Poland and Russia and Belarus.
Journalists from “Ukrayinska Pravda” conducted an investigation, which revealed a significant increase in the transit of agricultural products from Russia through Belarus to Poland. It is noted that this includes oil, seeds, and animal feed.
Photo: open sources
