Post AcXypfFBssQJRo2TL6 by kravietz@agora.echelon.pl
 (DIR) More posts by kravietz@agora.echelon.pl
 (DIR) Post #AcXypfFBssQJRo2TL6 by kravietz@agora.echelon.pl
       2023-12-06T22:49:30.982326Z
       
       0 likes, 1 repeats
       
       Random updates on #Poland #Ukraine border row. I do realize it's an incendiary topic that most people don't want to touch at all, or conveniently prefer to take tribal positions. And that's why I  want to take on it — it's precisely tribal thinking that took us to where we are today.Ukraine's ambassador to Poland Vasyl Zvarych reported on Twitter:> We opened the Uhryniv-Dolhobychiv crossing for empty trucks from Ukraine to Poland. From 00.00 on 4.12. to 15.00 on 5.12. - 135 empty lorries left UA for PL: 53 - Polish, 1 - Lithuanian, 81 - Ukrainian. At the moment in the live queue about 150 cars. Waiting time - 1.5 days1.5 days versus 20 days average wait time (before). Which was one of the main complaints of the Polish protesters. It now took six months since start of protests but only a month since the start of blockade. Still, according to e-Cherga, there's ~20k trucks waiting to exit Ukraine.Meantime, #Slovakia transport minister announced results of road checks of Ukrainian trucks in Slovakia — ⅔ of them were found to run "unauthorized cargos", which most likely means intra-EU deliveries. This is a direct violation of the EU-Ukraine agreement, and second main complaint of the protesters. Polish road inspection ITD says most Ukrainian trucks now run at night... because ITD is a civil service and only allowed to work during business hours.For weeks I saw calls on social media for Ukrainians in Poland to gather in protest against the blockade. The protest happened. It gathered around 30 people in Warsaw (out of over 1.2 million Ukrainians currently living in Poland, mostly in Warsaw agglomeration). And from personal discussions I kind of know why: most Ukrainians, especially in Poland, know very well what "their" truckers and customs are doing. You cross the border, you have eyes.It's not only knowledge reserved to those living in Poland. Yesterday I've listened to an Ukrainian interview with Dana Yarova, who is a recognized organizer of humanitarian help for Ukrainian army. When asked about the impact of the blockade, she said that their loads, as humanitarian ones, aren't affected by the blockade and diplomatically evaded further discussion on this topic. Notably, she's also member of Civic Anti-corruption Council.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcXcY8WVc4EAlso today I saw some videos of trucks being transported on trains, titled "Ukrainian transport companies found a way to bypass the blockade, fuck you Poland". If you skip the tribal hate, you could say it's a win-win, because moving the trucks to trains essentially removes the root cause of the protest — the unfair competition in intra-EU *road* transport.In summary to the everything mentioned above, I only want to once again quote Yarova. She also said something to the effect that last year's massive support for Ukraine was, apart from simple compassion, fueled by unity of Ukrainian society that was never seen before. After 24 February Ukrainians have shown incredible empathy, mobilization and abandoning usual quarrels and destructive competition. Yarova says, "we have proven to Russians and the whole world we arw nothing like they portrayed us". Which in turn provoked empathy and mobilization in other countries (I was volunteering among war refugees in Poland back then, I saw it with my own eyes). It was incredibly empowering and inspiring.And that worked, for some time. Then she says that this year the magic has disappeared, we have returned to the usual egoism, quarrel and cheating on each other. And along with that goes empathy of our allies.As I said before, quoting the Polish protesters, it's hard to show empathy towards those who ruthlessly compete and steal on others, especially on their own and at war time...
       
 (DIR) Post #AcYikAEaLW37iS4SsS by tom_andraszek@mastodon.social
       2023-12-06T23:35:26Z
       
       1 likes, 1 repeats
       
       @kravietz - you are doing a good job, thank you.Igor Janke published an interview with representatives of trucking associations, one Polish and one Ukrainian, a bit long: https://youtu.be/urgzYemYKiA