---
title: "Up to 40 Hours of Waiting: Russian Attacks and Air Raids Paralyze the Ukrainian-Polish Border"
description: "Russian strikes on Ukraine and regular air raids are causing temporary traffic halts at the Ukrainian-Polish border. At certain checkpoints, waiting times for truck clearance reach 40 hours."
date: 2026-10-17T04:29:42.037Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/up-to-40-hours-waiting-russian-attacks-paralyze-border
tags: [ukraine-poland-border, customs, air-alerts, logistics, russia-ukraine-war]
author: "Darya Fomina"
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Up to 40 Hours of Waiting: Russian Attacks and Air Raids Paralyze the Ukrainian-Polish Border

![Border post with Poland's coat of arms and police vehicles at a border checkpoint](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/17/do-40-chasov-ozhidaniya-rossiyskie-ataki-paralizuyut-ukrainsko-polskuyu-granitsu/do-40-chasov-ozhidaniya-rossiyskie-ataki-paralizuyut-ukrainsko-polskuyu-granitsu-1.webp)

## Key Points

- At certain checkpoints on the Ukrainian-Polish border, waiting times for customs clearance of trucks reach 40 hours.
- The reason for delays is temporary traffic stops due to air raids: nine signals were received overnight in the Lublin Voivodeship, with several more announced in the morning.
- 880 trucks are waiting for clearance in Hrebenne, and 250 in Zosin; over 3,000 trucks and 3,700 passenger cars were processed in 24 hours.

Russian strikes on Ukrainian territory and the accompanying air raids are significantly slowing down traffic at the Ukrainian-Polish border. According to the Polish Customs and Tax Services, waiting times for customs clearance of trucks reach up to 40 hours at certain border crossing points. This was reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing Polish Radio. The delays affect not only freight transport, but also private vehicles and buses.

### Cause of Delays: Regular Air Raid Alerts

Traffic at border crossings in the Lublin Voivodeship is periodically suspended due to the threat of Russian strikes. According to Michał Deruś, a spokesperson for the tax administration in Lublin, nine air raid alerts due to bomb threat warnings were issued within a few hours at night, and several more warnings were announced in the morning. „This entails a temporary suspension of freight clearance, as well as the movement of private transport and buses,“ Deruś noted. It is these scheduled stops that create the queues that accumulate over the course of the day.

### Scale of Queues at Checkpoints

The largest delays have been recorded at several border checkpoints. According to the Polish Customs and Tax Services, 880 trucks are waiting for clearance in Hrebenne, and another 250 in Zosin. Information is also circulating on social media about queues lasting more than 10 hours, particularly at the Krakivets and Shehyni crossings, with the situation varying significantly depending on the mode of transport and the specific checkpoint.

### What Was Cleared Over the Past Day

Despite the delays, over the past 24 hours, customs and tax service workers in the Lublin Voivodeship processed and cleared more than 3,000 trucks and over 3,700 passenger cars. This indicates that border and customs control is operating under heavy load but is not stopping entirely — traffic resumes after each air raid alert ends.

### Context: Previous Incidents in the Region

The current situation is not isolated. Earlier, on October 16, a danger warning was declared in one of Poland's voivodeships due to a Russian attack on Ukrainian regions, and on October 10, Poland scrambled military aircraft during a nighttime Russian attack on Ukraine. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk previously reported the evacuation of two checkpoints during one of the Russian attacks on facilities near the Ukrainian-Polish border. Thus, delays at the border are becoming a systemic consequence of ongoing strikes on the border areas of Ukraine.

## Fact-Check & Sources

- [На границе с Польшей образовались большие очереди: в чем причина](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/kordoni-polshcheyu-utvorilisya-veliki-chergi-1792189656.html) - Primary source: 40 hours of waiting, 9 night air raid signals, 880 trucks in Hrebenne, 250 in Zosin, 3000+ trucks and 3700+ cars per day, incidents on Oct 10 and 16, Tusk's statement.
- [На границе с Польшей образовались большие очереди: таможенное оформление грузовиков занимает ...](https://nv.ua/world/countries/rossiyskie-ataki-vyzvali-zaderzhki-na-ukrainsko-polskoy-granice-ozhidanie-do-40-chasov-50650874.html) - Confirms temporary traffic stops and waiting times of up to 40 hours due to attacks and alerts.
- [На границе с Польшей образовались большие очереди: сколько придется ждать водителям и пассажирам](https://www.obozrevatel.com/section-ekonomika-glavnaya/economy/news-na-kordoni-z-polshcheyu-utvorylysya-velyki-cherhy-skilky-dovedetsya-chekaty-vodiyam-ta-pasazhyram-01-10-2026.html) - Supplements with data on 10+ hour queues on social media at the Krakivets and Shehyni crossings and differences by transport type.
- ["До 40 часов ожидания": на границе Украины с Польшей выросли очереди](https://www.unian.net/economics/transport/ocheredi-na-granice-s-polshey-obrazovalis-iz-za-trevog-po-povodu-atak-so-storony-rf-13531464.html) - Confirms that alerts lead to temporary suspension of freight clearance and movement of private transport and buses.

## FAQ

### What is the maximum delay at the Ukrainian-Polish border?

According to the Polish Customs and Tax Services, waiting times for customs clearance of trucks reach up to 40 hours at certain checkpoints.

### Why is border traffic stopping?

Traffic is temporarily suspended due to air raids and the threat of Russian strikes. Nine alert signals were received overnight in the Lublin Voivodeship, with more warnings announced in the morning.

### How many vehicles were cleared over the past day?

Over the past 24 hours in the Lublin Voivodeship, more than 3,000 trucks and over 3,700 passenger cars were processed and allowed through.