Ukrainian influencer Andriy Havryliv was banned from entering Poland for five years after driving a sports car into a protected area in the Tatra National Park, near Morskie Oko. The incident sparked widespread outrage in Poland and quickly became a topic of nationwide discussion.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński, among others, responded to the incident.
“It’s our last day in Poland and we got a ticket…”
The incident occurred in mid-May. The influencer arrived in Poland with his girlfriend in a luxury sports car. He posted accounts of his trip on social media, boasting about his visits to Energylandia and Zakopane.
Movie he began with the words:
“It’s our last day in Poland and we got a fine, so I’ll tell you what it was like…”
As he reported, he left Krakow to see nearby tourist attractions.
– All the people told me that I wouldn’t be able to get there by car because there was no proper road, but as it turned out, the road there was fantastic. – he said on the recording.
“I didn’t see the sign”
The blogger later claimed that he did not notice the no-entry sign or the information about the protected area.
“Three kilometers before the actual location, I didn’t notice the ‘no entry’ sign and the information that it was a nature reserve. When we arrived at Morskie Oko, the locals were in awe, saying that in all their work, they’d never seen anyone drive there by car.” – he said.
The man also admitted that since he was already in the forbidden place, he decided to take photos.
“I figured since we were already here, we should take some photos. We quickly snapped a photo and started to descend, but we were stopped by the police along the way.” – he said.
In the published photos, the influencer poses with his girlfriend next to a sports car with Morskie Oko in the background.
The mandate caused an uproar
Police fined the driver 100 PLN and added 8 penalty points. This sparked considerable controversy because, as internet users pointed out, the fine schedule for similar offenses carries a fine of up to 5,000 PLN.
As reported RMF24Roman Wieczorek, spokesman for the Zakopane police, told PAP that the driver claimed that he had only driven through the barrier and turned around, not admitting that he had driven all the way to the lake.
The police were to accept his explanations and on this basis a fine of PLN 100 was imposed.
Reaction of Donald Tusk and the Ministry of Interior and Administration
The matter quickly spread across social media and sparked a wave of criticism. Prime Minister Donald Tusk weighed in.
The Ukrainian driver’s rally on the road to Morskie Oko is causing completely understandable outrage. I have asked the Ministry of Interior to urgently clarify all the circumstances of this case and to implement strict measures. – wrote the Prime Minister on the X website.
A few hours later, Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński announced that the influencer would face much more serious consequences.
The perpetrator of the Morskie Oko raid will be held accountable. Due to his public order violation, he will be placed on the Police’s list of undesirable persons and banned from entering Poland for five years. Breaking the law will always be met with a harsh response. – the minister said.
“I bought the boys cars with the money I earned”
The tik-toker himself later commented on the decision of the Polish authorities on social media.
I went to Poland, bought cars for the guys with the money I earned, and spent two days walking around Poland. They deported me, even though I’m already in Ukraine, and banned me from entering the country for five years. – he said.
However, he did not explain exactly who he was supposed to buy the cars from.
Tatra National Park: “It was a violation of the regulations”
According to the Polish Press Agency, Tatra National Park rangers were initially unaware of the incident. They only learned about it after the photos were published online.
TPN director Szymon Ziobrowski unequivocally assessed the influencer’s behavior.
– Entering the Tatra National Park by vehicle without the required permission constitutes a violation of applicable regulations. The road to Morskie Oko is appropriately marked, and unauthorized vehicles are prohibited at the entrance. – he conveyed.
He also added that renovations were currently underway on part of the route, which meant the barrier remained temporarily open. However, he emphasized that the prohibition signage was still in effect.
In the next one recording The influencer also touched on the topic of Poles’ attitudes toward Ukrainians. He told his followers whether he encountered hate speech against Ukrainian citizens during his stay in Poland.
Source: Nowiny Wschodnie / RMF24 / Ukrainian media
Journalist and Editor-in-Chief of Nowiny Wschodnie, a news platform followed by more than 140,000 people on social media. A graduate in Journalism and Social Communication, he has been co-creating and developing Nowiny Wschodnie since 2017. He gained professional experience working with local and international media.
He specializes in fact-checking, countering disinformation and propaganda, and information security. His work focuses on Poland, Ukraine, Eastern Europe, and Polish-Ukrainian relations. He is also the founder of a non-profit organization working in the fields of integration and intercultural dialogue.
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