Two Ukrainian journalists investigating trade between Poland and Russia have been detained in Poland, as reported by Rayon.in.ua.

The agency reported that editor Yuriy Koncevich and cameraman Oleksandr Pilyuk were detained on March 7 while documenting the crossing of the border by cargo train between the Kaliningrad region of Russia and Poland.

"Rayon.Zakordon traveled to the north of Poland, near the border with the Kaliningrad region of Russia, to see how gas and grain are still being transported from Russia through Poland into Europe. We didn't encounter any Polish farmers' blockades, but we did see the railcars belonging to the Russian Railways. The Polish police detained us and seized our property without informing the consul, denied us the opportunity to make a call to Ukraine, and the Internal Security Agency labeled us as individuals who threaten Poland's national security before deporting us," Koncevich explained.

The journalists were detained in the town of Braniewo. The police stated that the Ukrainians were detained for photographing railcars with Russian liquefied gas for an extended period. Moreover, the police searched their vehicle without the journalists' consent and seized their equipment, including an editorial laptop, three microphones, headphones, lighting equipment, and other personal items from a backpack in the car.

Additionally, two smartphones, two cameras, a personal MacBook, memory cards, power banks, and even selfie sticks were taken from the journalists. On March 9, Polish border guards took the Ukrainians to the Dorohusk-Yagodyn crossing point and imposed a 5-year ban on them from entering the Schengen area. The editorial team has begun the process of appealing the deportation.

Previously, Polish law enforcement detained Mikhail Tkach and his operator near the Polish-Belarusian border while the journalist was making a video report on the transit of goods between Poland, Russia, and Belarus.

  Poland, Russia, Ukraine

Comments