The president of the Lithuanian transport association Linava, Erlandas Mikėnas, said that the situation with trucks detained in Belarus has not changed. According to him, the vehicles remain on Belarusian territory, and carriers continue to receive bills for mandatory storage at paid parking facilities, LRT reported citing ELTA.
“In principle, the situation has not changed — vehicles belonging to Lithuanian carriers continue to be detained on the territory of Belarus. At present, we have no confirmed cases of trucks or semi-trailers being returned to their owners,” he said.
According to the association, a total of 149 companies have reported 1,071 detained units of transport — 496 trucks and 575 semi-trailers. Individual companies may be losing hundreds of thousands of euros, while total losses for the sector are estimated in the millions of euros.
“These figures are not final, as they include only those companies that contacted the association and provided information. According to preliminary estimates, the real number of detained vehicles may reach up to 4,000,” he added.
He said Linava had collected data on detained vehicles from some of its members and passed the information to the relevant Lithuanian authorities.
“Association members report that invoices for so-called vehicle storage continue to arrive — a fee of about 120 euros per vehicle per day is charged, and service contracts are also required. Recently, we have not recorded any significant positive changes in either the taxation practice or the detention of vehicles,” he said.
According to him, the issue is being considered for further resolution not only in cooperation with Lithuanian institutions, but also by raising it at the level of the European Union.
“We continue an active dialogue with Lithuanian institutions, primarily with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Possible political, diplomatic and legal measures are being assessed, and the issue is also being raised at the level of the European Union,” Mikėnas noted.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already met twice with representatives of transport companies this year.
Belarus closed the Medininkai and Šalčininkai border crossing points in October 2025 after several months of attacks on Lithuanian airspace using weather balloons. Minsk later banned Lithuanian trucks from moving within the country, obliging carriers to leave their vehicles at special sites for a fee.
Although the two border crossing points were reopened earlier than planned, the stranded trucks have still been unable to leave the territory of Belarus.