Despite the reopening of the border at midnight on 25 September, the situation at Koroszczyn – the only operational crossing – remains critical. According to data from the Polish Association of International Road Carriers (ZMPD), truck traffic continues to experience severe delays. The rate of customs clearance on the Polish side has dropped from 800–900 vehicles per day to around 240–260. As a result, lorries now take around eight days to cross the border, and more than 3,500 heavy goods vehicles are currently waiting in line.
Through a statement by its president, Jan Buczek, the ZMPD has called on the Polish government to take urgent action to stabilise the situation. “We are asking the Minister of Finance to immediately send additional customs and border officers to Koroszczyn,” the association said on its website. “This is currently the only border crossing through which road freight between Poland and Belarus passes. Urgent reinforcements in personnel and organisation are required not only to ease traffic congestion, but above all to ensure the safety and basic living conditions of drivers.”
The ZMPD stressed that the current situation breaches minimum humanitarian standards: professional drivers remain in the border zone without access to medical or healthcare services, and many are experiencing health problems due to prolonged exposure to low temperatures inside their cabs. They also lack access to sanitary facilities, water and hot meals, cannot leave their vehicles and have limited fuel supplies.
“The number of vehicles waiting for customs clearance is rising, which risks causing a humanitarian crisis. Drivers stranded near the border have no access to sanitary or food services, and carriers report that they are running out of financial resources. Hence our appeal to the government to intervene immediately. An emergency procedure should be initiated and the number of customs officers increased. We are aware that this is a difficult geopolitical situation, heightening the need for security, but that only reinforces the need to increase staffing at the border. We cannot afford to be held hostage by the lack of solutions,” Buczek added.
The ZMPD has also put forward several proposals to resolve or at least ease the crisis, including the opening of temporary humanitarian and medical aid stations, the reopening of other crossings to redistribute truck traffic, and the strengthening of customs and border services. The association also warned the government that prolonged downtime threatens not only public safety but also the competitiveness of Polish transport companies. Due to their inability to fulfil contracts, hauliers risk losing orders that could be taken over by foreign operators.
The situation, already complex, could worsen further if reports of another possible border closure prove accurate. Several media outlets, citing official sources, have reported that the reopening remains fragile and contingent on conditions unlikely to be accepted by Belarus, such as the release of political prisoners or joint management of migration flows. The Polish government has also stated that it is prepared to close the crossings again in the event of a new military escalation, and the Polish embassy in Minsk has advised all Polish citizens to leave Belarus. The situation therefore remains unstable and under constant review.
Marco Martinelli
