Context: Aleksandr Lukashenko lifted the leave restrictions on nearly 2,000 trailers and semi-trailers belonging to Lithuanian and Polish companies that had been stranded in Belarus for almost five months due to the temporary border closure with Lithuania. Before they leave, carriers will still have to pay for storage. Initially, the rate was €120 per day. This sum was referred to as “the minimum in Europe” in Belarusian state media, but the WTF team has already debunked this claim. Storage fees have been reduced three- to sevenfold.
The Belarusian state TV channel ONT attributed the financial losses of logistics companies to the actions of Lithuanian authorities. On March 23, 2026, the news reported the following:
“And that’s how it all began. It was a cold October in 2025, and hundreds of vehicles were stuck in a jam on the Lithuanian border. People could not return home or deliver their cargo on time, which resulted in spoiled goods. Drivers had no food or extra travel allowances, but the Lithuanian side didn’t care. <...> This is because at the end of October, Lithuania suddenly decided to stop all traffic through Šalčininkai and restrict certain categories of people through Medininkai. Essentially, this wording meant the collapse of the local transportation and logistics industry, resulting in losses for carriers and customers, as well as costs on our part.”
Lithuania did close the border in October 2025. However, it did not forbid its trucks from returning. An exception was made for Lithuanian citizens and EU citizens in general, allowing them to return. Official statements from the Lithuanian government also confirmed this.
The trucks were stranded in Belarus due to a decision by the Belarusian authorities. On October 31, 2025, the government banned the transit of European trucks, including Lithuanian and Polish trailers and semi-trailers, through its territory. This measure was in response to Lithuania’s decision to close the border. After that, the vehicles were unable to reach the border and leave Belarus.
The newscast on the ONT TV channel also stated:
“It was decided to ensure order in the border area and assist the drivers. The truckers moved their trucks and carefully parked them in designated lots for €120 per day. As time passed, however, Lithuania did not care about the costs to its citizens. It just put gates down and created financial problems for Lithuanian and Polish carriers. Even after traffic resumed on the border on November 20, Lithuania did not intend to solve these problems.”
This information doesn’t align with the facts, either. Vilnius has officially appealed to the Belarusian authorities at least twice, requesting permission for trucks to leave the country and proposing the creation of an “evacuation corridor” for this purpose. The Belarusian side responded to these appeals with a refusal. Minsk insisted that these issues be resolved at a higher political level.
Lithuania, for its part, took steps to assist the carriers and opened the border ten days earlier than planned to speed up the return of trucks. However, this did not help either. Belarus continued to hold the trucks, preventing them from leaving. The Secretary of State of the Security Council, Alexander Volfovich, voiced the reason for this directly:
“They remain [in Belarus] for one reason only: the Lithuanian leadership does not want to engage in constructive dialogue at the political level.”
Parking costs are another issue. The trucks had been idling for about three weeks by the time the border opened on November 20. Had they been allowed to leave immediately, parking one vehicle would have cost about €2,400 at a rate of €120 per day. Now the rates have been reduced by a factor of three to seven. By then, however, the trucks had been sitting idle in Belarus for almost 5 months. Therefore, even after the rates were lowered, the final amounts were comparable to or higher than the original amounts. The cost is about €6,900 for a tractor-trailer unit, about €4,600 for a semi-trailer, and about €2,350 for a tractor truck without a trailer. These prices are based on the exchange rate as of March 27, 2026. However, not all companies can pay these charges immediately. The transport is not allowed to leave the territory of Belarus until the money is paid.
Thus, the ONT TV channel portrayed the situation as if Lithuania had abandoned its carriers and was doing nothing to bring them back. However, the Lithuanian government allowed its citizens to return, appealed to the Belarusian authorities to let the trucks leave, and opened the border before the deadline. The trucks remained in Belarus due to a decision made within the country.