90+ Hours on the Road: A Border Crisis Unfolds
Persistent collapse persists on the Polish border for a staggering 90 hours straight.
As of 4 PM on Monday, an astounding 1,680 private cars and 95 buses are lined up at the sole operational passenger checkpoint "Brest - Tereспol," attempting to cross from Belarus to Poland. A traveller crossings the Belarus-Poland border in a personal car around 3 PM today revealed that it took a whopping 86 hours from joining the queue to the point of entry on the Belarusian side. Adding the border crossing time, it took over 90 hours! This means that individuals crossing the border on April 28th must have joined the queue on April 24th-25th. On the flip side, there are no queues in the opposite direction, with people returning from Poland to Belarus crossing both borders in 1.5 to 2 hours.
By Bus, with a Price and Patience
A resident of Grodno who left at 10 PM on Sunday got to Poland at 2:30 PM on Monday. This was possible by switching buses – her initial bus, which was 100th in line, shifted to the 3rd one at a cost of $50. A traveler from Minsk took an hour longer, jumping from the 97th bus to the 3rd one. Generally, people report that the border crossing itself takes 12-15 hours by bus. As you might expect, there are no queues on the return trip.
The Swap: A Driver's Tactical Move
Some shrewd observers have noticed that Polish bus drivers in peak days don't fancy driving to Belarus, so they swap with Belarusian drivers. The process is simple: a Polish driver arrives in Tereспol, waits for a bus from Belarus to cross the border, then the Belarusian driver transfers to the bus returning to Belarus, and the Polish driver takes the wheel of the bus heading to Poland. This ingenious manoeuvre allows both drivers to avoid spending several days in the queue to exit Belarus and head to Poland, speeding up their return home.
A Shift in the Baltic Direction
Tension on the Lithuanian border appears to subside. While roughly 100 private cars were waiting to exit Belarus to Lithuania at "Beniakony" at midnight on April 28th, the queue has dwindled to 30 cars by the afternoon. The situation at "Kamenny Log" has remained unchanged with approximately 70 private cars in the queue. On the positive side, there are no bus queues at either checkpoint for exiting Belarus to Lithuania.
On the Latvian route, the queue has vanished since the night of April 28, neither for buses nor private cars.
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Additional Insights:- The Baltic states adopt heightened security measures and entry restrictions for travellers from Belarus, impacting personal vehicles and buses: + In Lithuania, Belarusians with Lithuanian residence permits may face hurdles if returning more than once per quarter due to proposed legislation aims at reducing frequent cross-border travel.[1] + Upgrades to military infrastructure near the Suwałki Gap (a critical NATO corridor) potentially cause temporary disruptions in traffic but don’t explicitly restrict civilian vehicles.[3] + Belarus recently blocked Lithuanian imports in retaliation for border checkpoint closures, mainly affecting goods, not personal travel.[4]- In Latvia, direct entry by road from Belarus for tourism purposes remains banned for Belarusian and Russian citizens.[2][5]- Latvia reports concerns about Belarusians/Russians entering via other Schengen states, prompting plans for stricter advance applications for stays in Latvia.[5]- The key practical impacts include heightened scrutiny for Belarusian travellers in Lithuania,[1]entry ban for Latvia-bound Belarusians, and potential traffic disruptions due to military infrastructure upgrades in Lithuania.[3]
- The line of private cars and buses at the checkpoint "Brest - Tereспol" continues to stretch, with individuals waiting for over 90 hours to cross from Belarus to Poland.
- In an attempt to expedite their journey, some travelers are opting to transfer buses, paying additional money to move toward the front of the line.
- A strategic move among Polish bus drivers is to swap with Belarusian drivers, allowing them to avoid being stuck in the queue for days.
- Tension on the Lithuanian border is gradually decreasing, with queues of private cars at certain checkpoints dwindling.
- In response to the ongoing border crisis, the Baltic states are implementing increased security measures and entry restrictions for travelers from Belarus, including heightened scrutiny for Belarusian travelers in Lithuania and an entry ban for Belarusians entering Latvia.
