Blockade of 6 crossings on Ukrainian-Polish border continuing - Ukrainian official

MOSCOW. Feb 21 (Interfax) - Six crossings on the Ukrainian-Polish border remain blocked, as Polish farmers allow one or two trucks to cross the border in both directions once an hour, thus putting a larger strain on border crossings with other countries to which Ukraine has diverted its transport flows, Ukrainian media cited State Border Service spokesman Andrei Demchenko as saying during the national telethon on Wednesday.

The most difficult situation is at the Yagodin-Dorohusk and Shegini-Medyka border crossings, where protesters are blocking all trucks heading from Ukraine to Poland, Demchenko said.

"Yesterday [on February 20] the situation was different, because Polish farmers broadened their actions to block vehicle traffic. They have practically made truck traffic in all directions impossible and restricted the movement of other categories of vehicles at three border crossings, Ustilug-Zosin, Ugrinov-Dolhobyczow and Rava Russkaya-Hrebenne, including for cars and buses, which were unable for a certain period of time to cross the border both in the direction of Ukraine and en route to Poland. The movement of cars and buses in these directions gradually normalized after 4:00 p.m. by 6:00 p.m.," he said.

Cars and buses can pass through the blocked border crossings unhindered on Wednesday, he said.

In total, more than 2,500 trucks are currently waiting in lines at the Polish-Ukrainian border crossings blocked by protesting Polish farmers, Demchenko said.

Crossing points on Ukraine's border with other countries are functioning as usual, but the strain on them is growing as drivers choose them as an alternative to the crossings on the Polish border, Demchenko said, adding that it can be seen on the border with Slovakia and Hungary.

"Whereas there were no lines at them several weeks ago, some 600 trucks were waiting at the Uzhgorod-Vysne Nemecke crossing in Slovak territory in the morning [on Wednesday]. Around 750 trucks are waiting at the Tysa [Chop-Zahony] crossing in Hungarian territory to cross the border," he said.

The intensity of traffic at these border crossings matches the throughput capacity of each of them, he said.