Ukrainian woman recounted how a Belarusian taxi driver in Gdansk threatened to pull her out of the car by force because she refused to speak Russian

Ukrainian investigative journalist Yauheniya Matareuskaya reported the outrageous incident on Facebook.

In late September, Yauheniya arrived in Gdansk to speak at the international Breakwater conference. After the event, she called a Bolt taxi to get from the city center to her hotel to pick up her belongings. The airport was next on her schedule, as the journalist was due to fly to Armenia.

The taxi driver Siarhei called Yauheniya to explain where she needed to stand so he wouldn't have to drive around for 10 minutes. From the very beginning, he asked in English if the customer spoke Russian. The journalist replied that it would be better to communicate in English. The driver, using simple English, managed to explain where she needed to cross the road and where to wait for the taxi.

Павялічыць

Yauheniya did everything correctly. Problems began when she got into the taxi.

According to the journalist, the driver resentfully stated in Russian: «You shouldn't be like that, Yauheniya. I will speak to you in whatever language I want.»

She replied in Ukrainian: «Then we simply won't talk.» The interlocutors exchanged barbs and fell silent — Yauheniya was sure that the conflict was over.

«But five minutes later he stopped the car, told me to get out, and ended the trip. He said that if I didn't, he would pull me out by force. The sensitive soul of a 'Great Russian' couldn't stand that the Ukrainian woman wouldn't switch to his language,» Yauheniya wrote.

The Ukrainian woman replied to the taxi driver that she had violated no rules and wanted to call the police because discrimination was occurring. The driver locked the doors and said he would take her to the station himself.

Павялічыць

Just in case, Yauheniya photographed the taxi driver and sent the picture to a work chat. The man, according to her, began to threaten that the passenger would now be fined for illegal photography. He said that she was "nobody" in Poland, while he had a residence permit.

However, as soon as the pair entered the police station, the taxi driver turned around and fled. Yauheniya told Nasha Niva that she did not file a statement because she was afraid of missing her flight. She called a new taxi and went to the hotel for her luggage.

Bolt's tech support, according to the journalist, did not provide any adequate reaction to the complaint.

Yauheniya says that at first she was sure the driver was Russian — because he spoke perfectly, without an accent. But from his social networks, she learned that he is Belarusian and had recently moved from Minsk to Gdansk.

Павялічыць

Interestingly, according to "Belpol" data, 41-year-old Siarhei, who now works as a taxi driver, had been brought to responsibility at least 59 times in Belarus for violating traffic rules.

Павялічыць

Yauheniya tried to talk to the man on social media, but he simply blocked her everywhere. Siarhei Tsymbal made his accounts private.

Nasha Niva asked the man to comment on the conflict, but has not yet received a reply.

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