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secretary of the Polish Communist Party. Gomulka called for private ownership of
farmland and the repatriation of Soviet advisors to the Polish army. The Soviet leader-
ship was concerned enough that a Gomulka government would adopt unfriendly poli-
cies that it attended the Polish Union Worker’s Party Plenum, and the Soviets backed
that attendance with troop movements to Warsaw. Gomulka and other Polish leaders
sat with Khrushchev, Molotov, and other Soviet leaders to discuss the direction of
Polish politics; meanwhile, Soviet and Polish troops mobilized and clashed outside
Warsaw. Gomulka convinced Khrushchev that his leadership was not a threat. The
Soviets withdrew their forces on the 23.
Coding changes: Start Date changed from October 17, 1956. End Date changed from
October 21, 1956.
MID#4106
Dispute Number: 4106
Date(s): June 20, 1993
Participants: 365 Russia/290 Poland
Outcome (and Settlement): Unclear (None)
Fatalities: None
Narrative: A Russian warship approached a Polish fishing vessel in international
waters and forced it to leave the area. Russian military exercises were planned for the
area.
MID#4107
Dispute Number: 4107
Date(s): February 26, 1997 to March 21, 1997
Participants: 365 Russia/290 Poland
Outcome (and Settlement): Released (Negotiated)
Fatalities: None
Narrative: On February 26, 1997, the Russian environmental protection service
seized the Polish fishing vessel Aquarius and its crew of 79 in the Sea of Okhotsk and
detained it at Petropavlovsk, Kamchatka, for not possessing a valid license, although
the owner of the ship claimed to possess a valid Russian license. On March 17,
Russia submitted an indictment against the ship in Russian courts; meanwhile, other
trawlers owned by Gryf (the owner of Aquarius) continued to fish in the Okhotsk Sea
under threat of seizure. On March 20, the Polish government sent a note to Moscow
officially protesting the Russian actions and demanding the release of the ship and its
crew, and on March 21, Gryf signed an accord with the Russian environmental protec-
tion service, ending the dispute.