Belarusian authorities said Lithuanian trucks stranded at the Kamenny Log and Benyakoni border crossings to specially designated parking lots in the Katlovka area, citing “security and protection” as the reason, according to Nashaniva.com.
Lithuanian trucks ended up stranded in the neighbouring country after Vilnius closed its border with Belarus and Minsk, in retaliation, banned them from driving on the country’s road. Lithuanian authorities say the Belarusians are refusing to let the trucks return.
The Belarusian Foreign Ministry said over 1,100 Lithuanian trucks became stuck after Lithuania closed border checkpoints. The ministry said the relocation aims to ensure the safety of the vehicles, which were primarily concentrated near the Kamenny Log and Benyakoni checkpoints.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko commented Monday, accusing Lithuania of trying to blame Minsk instead of addressing serious international issues.
“We have long been ready to open the border. We did not close it,” Lukashenko said. He also announced a daily fee of €120 per truck, warning that unpaid vehicles and trailers could be confiscated.
Erlandas Mikėnas, head of Lithuania’s trucking association Linava, said the move will cause significant financial losses for Lithuanian carriers.
“Where the trucks are parked, we will have to pay – I mean the lot owners, Belarusian legal entities. Police patrol the area, and drivers cannot reach the border. By the time the borders reopen, fees will have accumulated so much that it will not be worth retrieving the vehicles,” Mikėnas told LRT RADIO.
Lithuanian drivers are reportedly allowed to leave Belarus on foot, leaving their trucks in the Katlovka lots, located across from Lithuania’s Lavoriškės checkpoint, which has been closed since March last year.
The Belarusian Foreign Ministry said it is prepared to assist drivers who cannot leave Belarus and insisted that additional costs to carriers are “entirely due to reckless, voluntary, and politicised actions by Lithuanian authorities”.
Meanwhile, the Lithuanian government continues to seek ways to recover stranded trucks. Prime Minister’s adviser Ignas Dobrovolskas said Belarus is creating “artificial” obstacles for Lithuanian and European companies trying to retrieve their vehicles.
Linava vice president Oleg Tarasov said Belarus has now completely closed the Medininkai–Kamenny Log checkpoint, preventing trucks from leaving the country even through partially open crossings.
“All drivers will now have to wait and see how the situation unfolds. Some trucks will be moved to paid lots, and others are likely to be seized,” Tarasov said.
According to Linava, roughly 4,500 Lithuanian trucks and trailers remain stranded in Belarus, down from 5,000, with only about 300 trucks returning in the past eight days.
“Customs officers have not managed to process even 600 trucks in eight days at Medininkai. Other checkpoints remain closed,” Tarasov said.
Lithuania closed the two remaining checkpoints with Belarus for a month in late October in order to pressure Minsk to better police smuggler balloons transporting contraband cigarettes to Lithuania. Vilnius Airport has halted flights multiple times for safety concerns because these balloons were sighted in its vicinity.
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