As queues deepened at blocked Polish crossings on 22 October 2025, Volodymyr Balin, vice-president of Ukraine’s Association of International Road Carriers, told public radio that each idle truck is losing at least €300 daily in fuel, driver wages and penalty fees. Balin alleged that the current protest wave is driven more by domestic Polish politics than by genuine market grievances, noting that many of the striking carriers previously served Belarusian and Russian routes now closed by sanctions.
Freight economists estimate the cumulative cost to Ukrainian logistics firms at over €2 million per week, figures likely to feed into bilateral talks scheduled for early November. Shippers with time-sensitive loads—such as IT hardware assembled in Kyiv’s Boryspil free zone—report switching to rail via the Izov-Hrubieszów line, though capacity is limited.
Polish authorities dispute the €300 figure but concede that prolonged queues risk reputational damage to Poland’s transit status. The statement adds quantitative weight for companies calculating alternative routings and reinforces the urgency of a negotiated settlement.
Freight economists estimate the cumulative cost to Ukrainian logistics firms at over €2 million per week, figures likely to feed into bilateral talks scheduled for early November. Shippers with time-sensitive loads—such as IT hardware assembled in Kyiv’s Boryspil free zone—report switching to rail via the Izov-Hrubieszów line, though capacity is limited.
Polish authorities dispute the €300 figure but concede that prolonged queues risk reputational damage to Poland’s transit status. The statement adds quantitative weight for companies calculating alternative routings and reinforces the urgency of a negotiated settlement.
