After the opening of two border crossings on the night of November 20, no trucks with Lithuanian license plates left Belarus. This information was announced by Gedrius Mišutis, a representative of the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service, as cited by the public broadcaster LRT.
“It is unclear why they are not passing through there. The checkpoint is operating, there is capacity. Passenger cars are going, trucks are moving with license plates from other countries – mostly, of course, from Russia, where drivers have simplified documents. The work of the checkpoints is absolutely normal, and they could just as well allow other vehicles, especially more trucks, but Lithuanians are not going through.”
– Gedrius Mišutis
Reactions from the sides and events at the border
Lithuania closed the border with Belarus from October 27 and initially stated that it would keep it closed at least until the beginning of December. The ban was introduced in response to numerous cases of cigarette smuggling coming from Belarus.
In response, Belarusian authorities banned movement of trucks, tractors and trailers registered in Poland and Lithuania, as well as passenger cars registered in Poland.
All these trucks subsequently remained parked near the border under guard and were not allowed to leave Belarus.
On November 20, border services of both countries announced that at midnight they had resumed operations at Medniki (Kamiany Log) and Solechniki (Benyakony) crossings.
The head of the Lithuanian National Association of Freight Carriers Linava, Erlandas Mikenas, noted that, according to his data, Belarus does not release trucks with Lithuanian license plates from the parking lots and insists on a meeting of representatives of the foreign policy ministries of both countries. Later he added that there is a possibility that after the shift changes at the Belarusian border points the situation might move.
According to the Belarusian Border Committee, at Kamiany Log they expect 570 trucks to depart for Lithuania, and at Benyakony – 355.