A Belarusian ban on trucks registered in Lithuania and Poland has left transport companies facing a worsening crisis, with no immediate solution in sight, Lithuanian logistics industry leaders said Monday.
“This is a very complicated situation, and there is no resolution yet,” said Povilas Drižas, secretary general of the International Transport and Logistics Alliance (TTLA). “The situation is getting worse, and I don’t know of any Lithuanian trucks that have returned.”
Belarus last week banned the use and movement of trucks and tractor units registered in Lithuania and Poland within its territory under a decree signed by authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko on October 31. According to Minsk, the move is a response to Lithuania’s earlier decision to close its border with Belarus.
According to Drižas, the problem extends beyond stranded vehicles to Lithuania’s broader trade with Asian countries.
“Our trade relations are already starting to feel the negative consequences of this border closure,” he said. “Lithuania may gradually disappear from the logistics or trade map. This is no longer just a transport problem.”
He said the industry hopes to work with the government to find a solution after Belarus imposed what it described as retaliatory sanctions.
“If there had been prior notice of the border closure, all carriers would have returned to Lithuania as quickly as possible, or at least through Latvia,” Drižas said. “Now we simply don’t know what to do. Our assets are there.”
Oleg Tarasov, vice president of the National Road Carriers’ Association Linava, warned that the situation is close to catastrophic.
“If the border is not reopened soon, Lithuanian haulers will be pushed out of the market,” he told LRT RADIO. “Our neighbours will take over the cargo and they already have better conditions. We estimate the logistics sector could lose about €1 billion in annual revenue.”
Drižas said Lithuania has about 7,000 transport companies, making it difficult to determine how many trucks remain stranded in Belarus.
Border officials report stable traffic
The State Border Guard Service (VSAT) said Lithuanian trucks eligible to return under government exemptions have been crossing back into the country.
“There is still movement from the Belarusian side, especially of passenger vehicles,” VSAT spokesman Giedrius Mišutis told BNS. “By 08:00 this morning, 240 passenger cars and 91 freight vehicles had entered Lithuania through the Medininkai crossing. Similar numbers were recorded over the weekend.”
Mišutis said border guards have not denied entry to Lithuanian citizens or residents returning from Belarus.
“The State Border Guard Service imposes no restrictions on freight vehicles or Lithuanian citizens returning from Belarus,” he said.
He added that VSAT had not yet received official information from Belarus about the new truck ban.
According to data from the Belarusian State Border Committee, more than 460 trucks were waiting Monday at the Šalčininkai–Byenyakoni crossing and over 800 at Medininkai–Kamenny Log on the Belarusian side.
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