2024-03-13T16:51:00+02:00 Politics 2024-09-15T04:36:18+03:00

Ukrainian news

2 Ukrainian journalists detained on border with Poland when they were making story about trade on russian-Poli

2 Ukrainian journalists detained on border with Poland when they were making story about trade on russian-Polish border

In Poland, two Ukrainian journalists of the publication Rayon.in.ua - editor Yurii Konkevych and videographer Oleksandr Piliuk - were detained when they were investigating cargo transportation on the russian-Polish border.

This was reported by the news agency itself.

The incident happened on March 7, when journalists were filming the border crossing by trucks between the Kaliningrad Oblast of the russian federation and the Republic of Poland. On March 9, the journalists were brought to the Dorohusk-Yahodyn checkpoint and sent to Ukraine.

The journalists say that they wanted to investigate what kind of cargo transportation is carried out between the russian federation and Poland, and what kind of transport runs there. They started filming freight trains and cars crossing the border. Later, the police approached them.

"About 1:10 p.m. local time, journalists were detained by 5-6 police officers in Braniewo," the news agency said.

The law enforcement officers took two smartphones, two cameras, a personal MacBook, memory cards, microphones, power banks and selfie sticks from the journalists. And the car was searched without the journalists' consent and after refusing to call the consul.

"Rayon. Zakordon went to the north of Poland, to the border with the Kaliningrad Oblast of the russian federation, to see how gas and grain from russia still go through Poland to Europe. We didn't meet any checkpoints of Polish farmers there, but we saw wagons of RZhD - russian Railways. Polish police detained us and confiscated our property, did not notify the consul, did not give us the opportunity to call to Ukraine, and the Internal Security Agency called us persons who threaten the national security of Poland and expelled us," said journalist Yurii Konkevych.

The police explained to journalists that they were photographing critical infrastructure - russian liquefied gas wagons.

"The editorial team has now started the process of challenging the deportation, which prohibits our journalists from visiting the countries of the Schengen zone for 5 years. But we are appealing to international journalistic organizations for support, because this reaction of Polish law enforcement officers threatens freedom of speech not only for Ukrainian journalists. We also demand the return of property, which is valuable. The lack of equipment blocks the activities of the News Agency Rayon.in.ua to a large extent," Director Ihor Denysevych said.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, in February, Ukrainian Pravda journalist Mykhailo Tkach and his cameraman were detained near the border between Poland and Belarus. They were shooting material on how the transit of products between Poland and russia and Belarus continues, including the import of agricultural products to russia.