Freedom for Trucks! Lithuanian Drivers Demand Government to Return Trucks Seized by Belarus

After the National Association of Road Carriers Linava held a protest in Vilnius on Wednesday regarding the detention of hundreds of Lithuanian trucks by Minsk, around 70 trucks from Lithuanian carriers lined up on Gediminas Avenue, and about 100 protesters demanded a specific action plan from the government to resolve the issue and either release the trucks or provide compensation.

"Our goal is to draw the attention of the government and the public to the scale of the crisis, to explain that the information about the numbers and other data provided by the government and the Seimas is not always accurate. We want a clear plan based on dates and actions on how the vehicles will be returned or compensation will be urgently paid. We want to ensure that the decision-making process does not stall," said the president of the National Association of Road Carriers Linava, Erlandas Mikėnas, to the protesters on stage near the Seimas.

"We would go protest in Belarus if we were paying taxes there. As long as we are paying into the Lithuanian budget, we will protest in Lithuania and file claims for damages against Lithuania," he added.

During the protest, the carriers announced a petition demanding that government representatives publish a specific action plan within 72 hours for the return of Lithuanian trucks detained by Belarus, as well as for compensation for the actual losses incurred by the carriers.

Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė reiterated that the government does not consider the issue of compensating the carriers' losses, as this should be done by Minsk.

"The Belarusian side detained the carriers' vehicles. It is quite logical to turn to Belarus for compensation for damages," Šimonytė stated to journalists at the government on Wednesday.

According to Mikėnas, the situation in Belarus remains critical, and the crisis has affected not only companies and workers but also the country's economy: "Carriers are angry, disappointed — their trucks are standing on the other side of the border, and their existence is on the brink of collapse."