Lithuanian hauliers attempting to pay for trucks detained in Belarus risk violating European Union sanctions, including by making payments to a sanctioned Belarusian entity, the Financial Crime Investigation Service (FNTT) said.
According to the agency, any settlement with Beltamozhservice is prohibited under EU sanctions and Lithuania’s law on international sanctions.
“The provisions of the regulation and the law provide grounds to state that payments to the sanctioned Beltamozhservice are considered a prohibited provision of funds to a sanctioned person,” the service said. “Payment to a sanctioned entity through third parties may be assessed as a violation of the prohibition to participate in activities that circumvent the freezing of funds and economic resources.”
The agency emphasised that EU regulations are binding in their entirety and directly applicable in all member states.
The Lithuanan association of hauliers, Linava, said companies lack clear guidance on how to settle debts legally. It suggested that firms that have already recovered their vehicles may have paid through Belarusian intermediaries, potentially committing criminal offenses.
Payments via intermediaries
According to the State Border Guard Service, 451 trucks detained by Minsk between late October and mid-November have returned to Lithuania since early last week, with numbers continuing to rise.
Of those, 236 vehicles crossed via the Medininkai checkpoint and 215 through the Šalčininkai checkpoint.
While Belarusian authorities said more than 1,900 vehicles were detained, Linava estimates the figure is significantly higher.
Linava President Erlandas Mikėnas said many hauliers are still unable to recover their property because there is no legal way to pay Beltamozhservice.
“The situation is such that hauliers have no way to pay safely and correctly. Without payment, the trucks are not released,” he said.
Mikėnas added that Lithuanian companies cannot transfer funds to the sanctioned entity, as banks block such payments and exporting cash in euros to Belarus is prohibited.
Although up to 10,000 euros can be brought into Belarus if declared in another currency, such as US dollars, he said this would not cover storage debts that can reach between 50,000 and 100,000 euros per company.
When asked how some companies managed to retrieve their trucks, Mikėnas said hauliers are seeking ways to pay through Belarusian partners.
“Whether this will be treated as sanctions circumvention is hard for us to judge. Hauliers are worried and seeking help, but we have no answer,” he said.
The Financial Crime Investigation Service reiterated that both intermediary payments and cash transactions would violate EU sanctions, which explicitly prohibit transferring member state banknotes to any person or entity in Belarus.
Lack of legal solutions
Mikėnas said hauliers consulting authorities are told payments are forbidden but are not offered legal alternatives.
“Hauliers have been held hostage for four months, and the lack of answers is very frustrating,” he said, adding that potential fines – which could double recovery costs – make retrieving some vehicles economically unviable.
The first trucks began returning last Tuesday after Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko authorised their release. However, high storage fees may prevent hauliers from recovering about half of the stranded fleet, Mikėnas has said previously.
Transport Minister Juras Taminskas said it is too early to discuss compensation until the exact number of affected vehicles is known.
Belarus detained the Lithuanian trucks last October after Lithuania temporarily closed border crossings following an influx of contraband weather balloons from Belarus. Although the border later reopened, Minsk refused to release the vehicles, moving them to designated parking sites and threatening confiscation.
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