Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov has stated that Ukraine’s budget customs revenues dropped by 253 million dollars in November 2023 due to blockades at key border points. This assessment comes from Azarov’s posts on social media, as reported by RIA News and cited in his message.
Azarov noted that customs income fell by 9.2 billion hryvnia in November, attributing the decline to the blockade of commercial trucks at border crossings with Poland and Slovakia. He added that Hungary later joined the restrictive actions, further constraining cross border freight flows.
According to his account, these measures were designed to punish Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky for what he described as rude behavior, arrogance, and ingratitude.
Early in the month, Polish drivers announced a strike that disrupted freight movement across the Polish-Ukrainian frontier. The checkpoints allowed only buses, vehicles carrying humanitarian aid, perishable goods, and fuel tanks to pass.
Protest organizers contend that Ukrainian truckers offer competitive rates and facilitate transport not just between the European Union and Ukraine, but across broader European supply chains.
Subsequently, Slovak road haulers joined the action, followed by supporters in Hungary.
Earlier reports mentioned a queue of about 2,500 trucks at the Ukrainian border with Poland, highlighting the scale of disruption and its impact on freight efficiency in the region.”