Poland deports Ukrainian who caught famous Warsaw catfish

Poland has deported a 57-year-old Ukrainian who caught a famous two-meter catfish from Lake Balaton in Warsaw at the end of May.

This is reported by the Polish media TVN24.

The man was charged with violating inland fisheries regulations and animal cruelty, which carry a maximum sentence of up to three years in prison.

However, after completing the investigation, the Polish police handed the Ukrainian over to the border service for deportation. The Polish authorities decided that the manʼs continued stay in the country "poses a threat to public order".

On the same day, he was taken to the Dorohusk checkpoint in the Lublin Voivodeship and handed over to Ukrainian border guards. In addition, the man was banned from entering Poland and other Schengen countries for five years.

• The incident occurred on May 30. Two men were pedaling around the lake — one of them was fishing and caught a 183-centimeter catfish that had been in the lake for about 20 years. Witnesses tried to stop the men from taking the catfish, but they put the fish in the trunk of their car and drove away.

For more news and in-depth stories from Ukraine, please follow us on X.