Chaos and corruption take hold as thousands of trucks remain stranded at the Russia-Kazakhstan border
For nearly two months, the Russia–Kazakhstan border has turned into a parking lot. Thousands of trucks loaded with goods worth millions of rubles have been stuck there since early September, when Russia suspended freight crossings citing falsified customs declarations. Drivers say even those carrying legitimate cargo have been stuck for weeks, leading some to abandon their trucks. The independent outlet Okno looked into what’s happening on the ground. Meduza summarizes their reporting.
According to Russian state media, about 10,000 trucks are now backed up at the border between Kazakhstan and Russia. Many of them have been stuck there for nearly two months. Kazakhstan serves as a transport route for Russia-bound goods from China, Turkey, and Kyrgyzstan. According to Okno, many of the trucks stuck in the border jam are likely carrying electronics, drones and components, and Western-made products banned from import due to international sanctions.
Russia’s Federal Customs Service has blamed the gridlock on “dishonest participants in foreign trade,” accusing importers of instructing their drivers to wait at the border until Russia eases checks. But truckers say everyone is stranded, regardless of what they’re hauling.
“It’s a nightmare,” said Irina (name changed), the wife of a long-haul driver from the Irkutsk region.
They’re parked wherever they can; it’s chaos — accidents, arguments, fights. […] There’s nowhere to go to the bathroom, nowhere to eat properly. [My husband] ran out of money; I sent what I could, and he borrowed some more. A week ago, he abandoned the truck — his boss agreed to send another driver to pick it up. My husband’s now without a paycheck, and our family’s in debt. And his boss — well, he’ll be lucky to avoid bankruptcy. He’s got normal goods, nothing under sanctions, it’s just kitchenware and household products. The media say trucks like his get through within a couple of days. That’s not true.
At the Mashtakovo checkpoint, another driver, Igor from Orenburg, said claims by Russia’s Federal Customs Service that the lines have cleared are false. “Two weeks ago, there were 5,000 trucks. Now there are 7,000,” he said. “They’re saying only trucks owned by [Kazakh businessman Gadzhi] Gadzhiev’s companies get across. I haven’t seen it personally, I’m blocked in here, but the guys say they’re paying $700 per truck and customs doesn’t even check them.”
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An economics professor at a Siberian university told Okno that the official explanation — that customs is enforcing Eurasian Economic Union rules — doesn’t hold up. “Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, and Armenia are members too,” he said. “None of them have bottlenecks like this. Most likely, they don’t have this volume of gray-market goods: drones and other sanctioned electronics that have already been used in sabotage incidents inside Russia.” The professor said the chaos seems to be benefiting customs officials far more than it’s curbing illegal imports. “Do the math — $700 times roughly 3,000 trucks from major carriers,” he said.
Drivers confirm that inspections haven’t become stricter, just slower. “Before, one truck took 15 minutes to clear,” Igor said. “Now we just sit there.”
Meanwhile, a black market has emerged. “Helpers” now charge $300–$1,000 per truck to speed up customs clearance. “I’ve been here 47 days with a shipment of electronics,” one driver told LocNews.ru. “Customers are suing. Many colleagues are already paying the ‘helpers’ — there’s no other choice.”
According to Gulnara Bazhkenova, editor-in-chief of Orda.kz, the chaos on Kazakhstan’s borders with both Russia and China began after the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in September, when Chinese businessmen reportedly complained to Kazakhstan’s president about exorbitant bribes. “Some might think it’s a fight against corruption, but it looks more like a redistribution of power,” she said. “We’re watching, in real time, who will end up controlling this ‘market.’”
Gadzhiev — the same businessman Igor mentioned — has been the subject of multiple investigative reports on cross-border trade with China, according to The Insider. Outlets like Respublika.kz have linked him to freight routes through Kazakh checkpoints. But Bazhkenova describes him only as an executor. “The real decision-maker,” she said, “is [Kazakh] National Security Committee first deputy chairman Ali Altynbayev.”
Bazhkenova confirmed that certain trucks are still getting through to both Russia and China. “The old schemes haven’t vanished — they’ve just gone manual. If you can reach the right people through Gadzhiev, your truck eventually moves,” she said.
TASS / Profimedia