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WARSAW, Poland (AP) \u2014 Polish authorities voiced grave concerns Wednesday after slogans praising Russian President Vladimir Putin<\/a><\/span><\/span> and his war against Ukraine appeared at Polish farmers’ protests.<\/p>\n The Foreign Ministry said it believed that extreme groups were trying to take over the farmers’ protest movement \u201cperhaps under the influence of Russian agents.”<\/p>\n On Tuesday, one tractor at a protest in the southern region of Silesia carried a Soviet flag and a banner that said: “\u201cPutin, put things in order with Ukraine, Brussels, and our rulers.\u201d<\/p>\n Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski called the banner \u201cscandalous,\u201d and said that it was immediately secured by police, and that prosecutors were also investigating.<\/p>\n \u201cThere will be no consent to such criminal activities,” he said.<\/p>\n The public promotion of a totalitarian system can be punished with up to three years in prison under Polish law.<\/p>\n Poland, a member of NATO and the European Union located along Ukraine’s western border, has been a staunch supporter of Kyiv since Russia launched its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, accepting unlimited numbers of refugees and providing Ukraine with weaponry.<\/p>\n Poles, with memories of past oppression by Moscow rooted deeply in generational memory, are largely supportive of Ukraine. But tensions have been growing as Polish farmers blame imports of Ukrainian grain and other food for pushing down prices.<\/p>\n Polish farmers are among farmers across Europe who have protesting competition from Ukraine as well as EU environmental policies, which they say will increase their production costs.<\/p>\n