Five consecutive 
signs visible in FE (→GE) and EE3 (→EE4) can denote only long accents in this context. However, their significant size is not typical for Chopin long accents, yet they are to be found in autographs. It is very likely that the placement and size of the accents were distorted by the engraver, who, interpreting them as diminuendo, could subject them to a routine revision (cf., e.g., the Etude in A minor, No. 2, bars 8 and 12). In EE2 the signs were omitted, similarly as all other dynamic signs on this page.
Compare the passage in the sources »
category imprint: Differences between sources
issues: Long accents, Errors in EE
notation: Articulation, Accents, Hairpins