Drivers stranded at Pāternieki as Latvia considers closing crossing

About 20 trucks have been stranded for a fourth day at the closed Pāternieki border crossing between Latvia and Belarus, LSM reported. Drivers are waiting for information about when the crossing will reopen, while Latvia’s Interior Ministry plans to ask the government to suspend its operation permanently.

On Monday, drivers were given the opportunity to amend their documents and use alternative border crossings through Lithuania or Russia. However, many said they had received little information and were unable to change their reservations in the computer system.

“The main issue is hygiene. We cannot simply wash ourselves. We are saving water; there is only one sink. Can you imagine the condition of the toilet? There are almost 100 men here trying to wash somehow,” said Roman, a truck driver from Kazakhstan.

Roman said he had been waiting since Friday after arriving at the crossing and finding it closed. He planned to wait until the afternoon to see whether the system would allow him to rebook at the Grebņeva crossing.

“If the computer allows it, we will rebook immediately and leave, because there is no point staying here,” he said.

The situation at the crossing had grown quieter by the fourth day, with drivers becoming increasingly tired. Some Uzbek drivers cooked plov over the weekend and walked to a shop more than 10 kilometres away. They also went swimming in a lake on the way back. Drivers said there were no showers and that they could only wash using water from containers.