Home › Opinion › Kyiv protest and a Polish border incident
Kyiv protest and a Polish border incident

Summary
A look back at two stories from 3 November 2021, one on Kyiv's streets and one on the Belarus–Poland border.
What did 3 November 2021 show about pressure on governments in Ukraine and its neighbourhood? Two reports from that day pointed to tension at home and at the border.
In Kyiv, several thousand people took part in a rally against COVID-19 vaccination and the restrictions introduced because of the pandemic. Participants blocked traffic in several places in the government quarter.
The same day, Poland summoned the Belarusian chargé d'affaires. A Polish government spokesman said Belarusian troops had crossed into Polish territory overnight, advancing 300 metres (980 ft). According to the spokesman, they returned across the border only when a Polish patrol confronted them.
The two events were unrelated, and the reports link them in no way. Together they show a day when a public health dispute spilled onto the streets of Ukraine's capital while a diplomatic summons was issued in Warsaw over a border crossing.