Lines of articulated lorries stretching eight to ten kilometres again snaked towards the Yahodyn, Rava-Ruska, Krakivets and Shehyni crossings on 1 February after Polish owner-drivers maintained their protest over EU permit rules. According to figures released by the Polish Border Guard and confirmed by Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service, some 2,700 vehicles were waiting on the Polish side alone by Monday morning.
The blockade, which began back in November 2025, is aimed at restoring bilateral permit quotas that were waived after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Polish hauliers say Ukrainian operators now undercut domestic carriers on west-bound loads, while soaring fuel and toll costs squeeze margins. Although Warsaw and Kyiv have held three rounds of talks, no compromise has been reached and the protest has broadened to include Polish farm unions angry about agri-imports.
For supply-chain managers the stalemate is more than political theatre: average transit times for east-bound truckloads of auto parts and electronics assembled in Polish special-economic zones have ballooned from two days to over a week. Rail intermodal capacity via the Medyka terminal is fully booked, and air-freight rates out of Rzeszów and Katowice have spiked 18 % in a fortnight as exporters seek alternatives.
![2,700 trucks trapped as Polish hauliers keep Ukrainian border blockade into February]()
For businesses and individuals scrambling to adjust travel or work plans amid these disruptions, VisaHQ offers a practical lifeline. Through its Poland portal (https://www.visahq.com/poland/), the service can fast-track Schengen or Ukrainian visa applications, calculate remaining lawful stay days and provide real-time application tracking—helping companies keep personnel and cargo moving even when the roads are not.
Human-resources teams moving staff between Poland and western Ukraine are also feeling the pinch. Coach companies report detours of up to 200 km via Slovak crossings, while assignees holding short-stay (C-type) visas risk overstaying the Schengen 90/180-day rule if stuck in queues. Legal advisers recommend documenting delay letters from the Border Guard to mitigate potential overstay penalties.
The Polish government has floated a compensation fund for domestic carriers and hinted at re-introducing limited permit controls, but Ukrainian negotiators warn that rolling back liberalised transport could breach the Association Agreement with the EU. Unless talks progress this week, organisers say the blockade will “continue around the clock” through mid-February.
The blockade, which began back in November 2025, is aimed at restoring bilateral permit quotas that were waived after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Polish hauliers say Ukrainian operators now undercut domestic carriers on west-bound loads, while soaring fuel and toll costs squeeze margins. Although Warsaw and Kyiv have held three rounds of talks, no compromise has been reached and the protest has broadened to include Polish farm unions angry about agri-imports.
For supply-chain managers the stalemate is more than political theatre: average transit times for east-bound truckloads of auto parts and electronics assembled in Polish special-economic zones have ballooned from two days to over a week. Rail intermodal capacity via the Medyka terminal is fully booked, and air-freight rates out of Rzeszów and Katowice have spiked 18 % in a fortnight as exporters seek alternatives.
For businesses and individuals scrambling to adjust travel or work plans amid these disruptions, VisaHQ offers a practical lifeline. Through its Poland portal (https://www.visahq.com/poland/), the service can fast-track Schengen or Ukrainian visa applications, calculate remaining lawful stay days and provide real-time application tracking—helping companies keep personnel and cargo moving even when the roads are not.
Human-resources teams moving staff between Poland and western Ukraine are also feeling the pinch. Coach companies report detours of up to 200 km via Slovak crossings, while assignees holding short-stay (C-type) visas risk overstaying the Schengen 90/180-day rule if stuck in queues. Legal advisers recommend documenting delay letters from the Border Guard to mitigate potential overstay penalties.
The Polish government has floated a compensation fund for domestic carriers and hinted at re-introducing limited permit controls, but Ukrainian negotiators warn that rolling back liberalised transport could breach the Association Agreement with the EU. Unless talks progress this week, organisers say the blockade will “continue around the clock” through mid-February.
