Polish Senator Krzysztof Brejza: Russian coal continues to flow into the country despite Poland being one of the first countries to call for a boycott of Russian natural resources.
Coal from Russia used to be an essential part of the country’s energy mix. However, since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, the Polish government has been a strong advocate of economic sanctions against Moscow, including a complete embargo on Russian coal.
I have a list of several dozen ships that have brought 900,000 tonnes of Russian coal to Poland over the last nine months.
Small ships often carry between 2,000 and 3,000 tonnes of coal at a time. According to the documents, imports come from countries other than Russia, “most often from Kazakhstan.”
The crew of the Roseburg, which arrived in Szczecin earlier this week, came from Vyborg. All the people on the vessel, including the captain, were Russians, emphasised Brejza, a lawmaker from the opposition centrist Civic Platform (PO) party. He claimed receiving confirmation that the vessel was carrying coal.
The officer told me he was just a pawn. Even the customs authorities do not know.
The senator also demanded explanations from Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, the leader of the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party Jaroslaw Kaczynski and the authorities.
The country’s National Tax Service (KAS) has rejected Brejza’s reports.
Coal from Russia is subject to sanctions and is not imported into Poland. KAS ensures compliance with all sanctions imposed on Russia in connection with the war in Ukraine.
In addition to Russian coal imports, illegal visa sales can also be a problem for the conservative PiS party, since the parliamentary elections scheduled for October 15 are less than two weeks away.
