A Polish journalist has been banned from entering Ukraine for three years

Polish journalist Łukasz Warzes, who participated in a study tour to Ukraine for Polish media professionals, has been barred from entering the country for a period of three years. The decision was made by the Security Service of Ukraine.

The trip was organized jointly by the Mieroszewski Center and the Ukrainian Institute. While passing through border control, the journalist was denied entry into Ukraine.

Warzecha himself stated on social media that the decision on the three-year entry ban was issued by the Security Service of Ukraine after the journalist spent more than seven hours at the border crossing. He added that the SBU’s decision was made “for security reasons.”

The journalist explained that he was traveling with a group to Kyiv at the invitation of an official Ukrainian government agency.

The Center stated that the list of journalists invited to participate in the visit had been preliminarily agreed upon with the Ukrainian Institute, which reports to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and then forwarded to the relevant Ukrainian government agencies. No objections regarding Warzecha were raised during the preparatory phase. The Center added that it viewed the decision to deny the journalist entry into Ukraine “with concern.”

“While respecting Ukraine’s sovereign right to determine entry into its territory, we also note that restrictions on journalists’ work may generate widespread media coverage and create an opportunity for comments that negatively impact good-neighborly Polish-Ukrainian relations,” the institution’s statement reads.

Sławomir Menczen, a far-right politician from the Polish “Confederation” party, called the ban on the journalist’s entry into Ukraine a scandal and urged the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs to intervene in the situation.

“Anyone can enter Poland from there, but is Warsaw standing in the way of Ukrainians? We welcome Ukrainians who say far worse things about Poland than Warzecha says about Ukraine. I urge the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take action on this matter!” Mencen wrote.

Łukasz Warzecha is a Polish journalist and right-wing columnist. He has repeatedly criticized Poland’s policy toward Ukraine, writing that “we ourselves have fostered Ukrainian arrogance.” In 2023, he wrote that the policy of supporting Ukraine’s EU membership “is suicidal and runs sharply counter to Polish interests.”

This was stated by the Mieroszewski Center.

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