Severe Congestion at Kazakhstan-Russia Border

Publish Time: 2025-10-15 Origin: Site

Recently, freight ports at the Kazakhstan-Russia border have been hit by unprecedented severe congestion. Since mid-September, the number of cross-border vehicles has reached 7,500, forming long queues. Even after the end of the National Day holiday, more than 5,000 trucks remain stranded at the border, dealing a major blow to land transportation from Central Asia to Russia.

Truck queues stretch for several kilometers.

At major ports such as Karaganda and Petropavlovsk, many drivers report waiting times of 4 to 6 days.

In the Samara region—a key westbound corridor between China and Russia—truck convoys extend for kilometers. The original Almaty-Moscow route, which used to take 7 to 9 days, now has its overall transportation cycle doubled due to significantly longer queuing and customs clearance times. Customs clearance at some ports even faces indefinite delays.

Tighter Inspections: Almost "Every Shipment Checked"

One of the main causes of congestion is the significant tightening of cross-border cargo inspections by customs on both sides since mid-September.

Kazakhstan: It has imposed strict inspections on Chinese goods transshipped through its territory to Russia, with a focus on goods related to sanctions or dual-use items—such as electronic products, machine tools, drones, clothing, and Western-brand goods. The random inspection rate is close to 99%.
Russia: The Federal Customs Service of Russia announced in early October the strengthening of supervision over "dual-use goods," leading to a significant increase in the seizure rate. Some containers are required to undergo secondary declaration or be returned, with key oversight on sensitive categories like high-tech equipment and mechanical parts.

Industry insiders analyze that this is driven by both security and compliance considerations, as well as certain political factors related to export controls.

Plummeting Passing Capacity

According to data from the Kazakhstan National Freight Association, the average daily passing capacity of ports has plummeted from 1,800 vehicles to 400 vehicles. The number of stranded trucks continues to increase at a rate of over 500 per day.

The Federal Customs Service of Russia reported that truck queues stretch from Chelyabinsk Oblast (Russia) to Kostanay Oblast (Kazakhstan), making the congestion scale unprecedented.

Four Overlapping Triggers

System Failure: On October 9, Russia mandatory launched the "Customs Data Lake" system, which is severely incompatible with Kazakhstan’s "Digital Border" platform. This caused a 400% surge in the number of repeated verifications for electronic customs declarations.
Sudden Policy Change: Russia abruptly implemented new quarantine standards, requiring unpacked inspections for agricultural products. The inspection time per truck increased from 45 minutes to 4 hours.
Extreme Weather: The Ural region was hit by rare early snow, with temperatures dropping sharply to -15°C. Fuel condensation left hundreds of trucks unable to start.
Political Factors.

The Kazakhstan-Russia border is the most important trade corridor of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), accounting for 43% of the union’s internal trade volume annually, with a daily cargo value exceeding $1.5 billion.

This congestion has caused direct economic losses of over $340 million. The logistics systems of many Central Asian countries have been affected, and cross-border freight companies are facing multiple pressures—including transportation delays, container detention fees, and the risk of customer breach of contract.

Severe Congestion at Kazakhstan-Russia Border

Tighter Inspections: Almost "Every Shipment Checked"

Plummeting Passing Capacity

Four Overlapping Triggers

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