OSHMYANY DISTRICT, 29 October (BelTA) – Truck drivers stranded at the Kamenny Log border crossing, adjacent to Lithuania’s Medininkai checkpoint, shared their frustrations with BelTA about the prolonged wait to enter Lithuania.
Oleg, a trucker returning home to Moldova, spent 25 days waiting in line. “We’ve been stuck here for a very long time! We were waiting for the entry for 25 days. Yesterday we were called, we didn’t even know the border was closed, we were slowly moving. Now I don’t even know what will happen. Of course, we always hope for the best. I’ve been working as a trucker for so long, but this is the first time I have faced such a situation. This wait is really exhausting. There are guys here who have been waiting in this particular place since Sunday,” the man said.
He mentioned the financial consequences of the long wait. “They pay us, but what’s the point? We spend all this money on food. And our supplies are running low.”
Gulmurat from Kazakhstan had a similar experience: “It’s been 24 hours since I entered the checkpoint. In total, I’ve been waiting for over 20 days. We’re waiting for an answer, what else can we do? There are no other options; it’s not up to us. We’re just enduring it.”
He added that while truck drivers are accustomed to waiting, the uncertainty of the situation is the real problem. “If they don’t let us in, we’ll go back home and find out whether they’ll pay us or not,” he added.
Cornelio, another truck driver from Moldova, spent 23 days in the holding area. “I’ve been standing at the border since yesterday evening. We don’t decide anything here. They decide for us. This is really frustrating. We have families, children to feed, and yet we’re standing here and not earning any money.”
He also highlighted the broader logistical crisis. “Poland won’t let us through, so Latvia is the only option left. Just imagine: if they close two border crossings, where will all these trucks go?”
A reminder, after a meeting of Lithuania’s National Security Commission on 27 October, plans were announced to indefinitely close the border with Belarus. While the final approval of the decision is expected from the Lithuanian government on 29 October, the proposed restrictions would not apply to diplomats, diplomatic mail, or Lithuanian and EU citizens entering from Belarus. Travelers going in transit to and from Russia’s Kaliningrad Oblast would also remain unaffected. All other cross-border traffic would be prohibited.
Photos by Leonid Shcheglov
Follow us on:
