MOSCOW, September 24 (RIA Novosti) – Polish miners have blocked trains carrying Russian coal from entering their country, Polish news outlet RMF 24 reported Wednesday.
"The protesters will let no train importing coal from Kaliningrad to Poland through," Stanislaw Klysz from the Polish Solidarity Union told the reporters.
According to Klysz, the route can remain blocked till the end of the week, as the miners want to draw attention to the fact that coal imports could destroy the country's coal industry, and the Poland's energy security depends on it.
At night, a group of miners from Silesia, Poland, blocked trains with coal imported from Russia at the border crossing Braniewo-Mamonowo, RMF 24 reported. There were about 200 people there. The train was sent back to Kaliningrad.
Protesters emphasized that their actions stem from Poland's excessive coal imports from Russia. In their view, growing imports of Russian gas and coal, while cheaper, are the main causes of the dire situation in the Polish mining industry.
According to the Polish Solidarity Union, coal imported into the country from Russia in Poland is sold at dumped prices, RMF 24 reported.
On August 16, Kommersant newspaper, citing Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, reported that Poland was considering banning imports of Russian coal.
Talks about the possible ban began after Moscow had introduced a food ban in response to the sanctions imposed on Russia by Western countries.
On August 7, Russia imposed a ban on food imports from countries that imposed sanctions against it. The decision came in response to Western sanctions applied on Russia over its alleged involvement in the independence movement in Ukraine.
