Ukrainian blogger to be banned from entering Poland for 5 years after driving to protected lake

A Ukrainian influencer has sparked outrage by driving a sports car to Morskie Oko, a picturesque lake in the southern Tatra Mountains in Poland, despite a strict ban on vehicle entry into this protected area, reports TVP World, according to UNN.

The perpetrator will be banned from entering Poland for five years, the Polish Ministry of Internal Affairs stated.

Details

The man, identified by Polish media as Andriy Havryliv, drove a Chevrolet Corvette more than 8 kilometers along the road leading to the mountain lake on Friday evening.

Although the route is paved, access is permitted only for emergency services and authorized technical vehicles, as it passes through the protected zone of the Tatra National Park, where several signs indicate the ban on entry for private cars.

The influencer documented his trip on social media, posting photos and videos in which he poses with his partner next to the yellow car, with the lake visible in the background.

These posts sparked outrage online, with many users pointing out that such vehicles are prohibited from entering Morskie Oko.

Police in the nearby mountain town of Zakopane reported that the driver was stopped while leaving the Tatra National Park and fined 100 PLN (23 EUR) along with eight penalty points on his driving record, according to the Polish state news agency PAP.

But the amount of the fine drew public criticism, with some arguing that what they consider a relatively minor punishment may not be enough to deter others from similar violations.

It remains unclear why the officers decided to impose a fine of that amount. Roman Wieczorek, a spokesperson for the Zakopane police, told PAP that fines for this offense can range from 20 to 5,000 PLN (about 5-1,170 EUR).

PAP also reported that Tatra National Park staff only learned of the incident after the influencer's photos began circulating online.

Following the backlash, the influencer apologized, stating that he had misunderstood the signs and believed that driving a car might be permitted.

"I want to apologize to the Poles because I simply didn't know that driving there was prohibited," Polish broadcaster Polsat News quoted him as saying in a social media post.

In the post, he also reportedly said that "perhaps in a way this unique photo is worth the 100 PLN fine," but added that if he could turn back time, he would have chosen to hike to Morskie Oko instead.

The Polish Minister of Internal Affairs, Marcin Kierwiński, also reacted to the incident.

The perpetrator of the raid on Morskie Oko will be held accountable. For the violation of public order, at the request of the police, he will be included in the list of undesirable persons and banned from entering Poland for five years. Breaking the law will always be met with a tough response

Commenting on the incident, Szymon Ziobrowski, director of the Tatra National Park, condemned the influencer's actions.

"The road is open to the public up to a certain point, and the police operate there. However, if he reached Morskie Oko, he also ignored our entry ban, which he obviously did not notice. (...)", he told the media outlet Wirtualna Polska.

"These are unacceptable situations. We view this very negatively," Ziobrowski added.

Famous for its emerald waters and stunning panoramas, Morskie Oko is the most visited site in the Polish Tatras, attracting more than 1.1 million tourists annually.