Polish carriers have completed the blockade of the Dorogusk-Yagodin checkpoint

The blockade of the Yagodyn-Dorohusk checkpoint is over – since 14.00 on December 11, stable truck traffic was restored there. This was reported by Oleksandr Kubrakov, Deputy Prime Minister for the Restoration of Ukraine, Minister of Community Development, Territories and Infrastructure of Ukraine.

He noted that 15 vehicles have crossed into Ukraine and are at the checkpoint. In addition, 25 trucks are being cleared to go to Poland.

Kubrakov reminded that the blocking of the largest cargo crossing point had lasted more than a month.

«During this time, the team of the ministry and the embassy literally dealt with the issue of unblocking every day. Dozens of meetings and negotiations were held at all possible levels. It was a difficult job, but it is not finished yet,» said the Deputy Prime Minister for the Reconstruction of Ukraine.

The border should be fully unblocked, and further blockages should not be allowed. Further work is currently underway, taking into account the interests of Ukrainian carriers and the state.

According to the State Border Guard Service, before the blockade, 1200-1300 trucks crossed the border through this route per day, while during the protest, 100-130 trucks were cleared to enter Ukraine per day and about 30 trucks were cleared to leave.

According to Yulia Klymenko, First Deputy Head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Transport and Infrastructure, the cost of one truck’s downtime is estimated at around €300 per day. There are also indirect losses for business, such as the inability to predict the delivery time of goods under signed contracts.

The Federation of Employers of Ukraine reported that as of November 22, 2023, the Ukrainian economy suffered more than €400 million in losses as a result of the protest by Polish carriers. If indirect losses are taken into account, they are likely to be measured in billions of euros.

As GMK Center reported earlier, exports by road due to the blockade on the Ukrainian-Polish border in November fell by 26.7% compared to October – to 783 thousand tons, while imports decreased by 23.5% m/m – to 967 thousand tons. The volume of Ukrainian exports across the Polish border last month decreased by 40%.