# Ukraine Asks to Move Customs Checks Into the EU After Russian Drones Target Lorry Queues

Kyiv says its forces have downed 408,000 Russian drones this year, and Finnish companies plan a Ukrainian-controlled satellite network to reduce reliance on Starlink.

- Published: 2026-10-23T05:16:29.344Z
- Canonical: https://polylog.news/2026-10-23/ukraine-asks-to-move-customs-checks-into-the-eu-after-russia
- Publisher: Polylog (Global desk)
- Section: geopolitics
- Sources: [Financial Times Markets](https://www.ft.com/content/ab922590-7f73-4a84-a3bd-a42cf80c92f7?syn-25a6b1a6=1), [Ukrinform](https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/4177317-ukraines-defense-forces-neutralize-408000-russian-drones-since-start-of-year.html), [Kyiv Independent](https://kyivindependent.com/amid-starlink-crisis-finnish-tech-giants-announce-plan-to-help-ukraine-build-its-own-sovereign-satellite-system/)

Ukraine wants customs inspections for its exports moved onto European Union (EU) territory, because lorries waiting at the border to carry agricultural produce into the bloc have [become a target for Russian attacks](https://www.ft.com/content/ab922590-7f73-4a84-a3bd-a42cf80c92f7?syn-25a6b1a6=1), the Financial Times reported.

The border has been hit before. In September, debris from a Russian drone [set fire to a petrol station and several trucks](https://www.euronews.com/2026/09/14/drone-strikes-hit-key-ukraine-poland-supply-route-sparking-border-fires) near the Yahodyn-Dorohusk crossing with Poland, one of the main road routes for military and humanitarian supplies into Ukraine. Air-raid alerts regularly stop traffic, and truck customs clearance has taken [up to 40 hours](https://ukranews.com/en/news/1181800-long-lines-form-at-ukrainian-polish-border-customs-clearance-for-trucks-taking-up-to-40-hours) at some crossings. Lorries parked in long queues on the Ukrainian side are easy to locate and cannot shelter from attack.

Kyiv describes a war in which drones are the main weapon on both sides. Ukraine's Defense Forces have [struck 408,000 Russian drones](https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/4177317-ukraines-defense-forces-neutralize-408000-russian-drones-since-start-of-year.html) since the start of the year, the state agency Ukrinform reported. No independent source has verified that figure. Moscow is reporting attacks from the other direction. Russia's air defenses shot down [five drones approaching Moscow overnight](https://tass.ru/proisshestviya/28244813), according to TASS.

Ukraine is also trying to reduce its dependence on a single American company for communications. Finnish firms including the satellite-imaging company ICEYE announced a plan to help Ukraine build its own satellite system, which the [Kyiv Independent](https://kyivindependent.com/amid-starlink-crisis-finnish-tech-giants-announce-plan-to-help-ukraine-build-its-own-sovereign-satellite-system/) linked to what it called a Starlink crisis. "Ukraine needs secure, sovereign, and high-performance satellite communications systems that it controls," ICEYE Chief Executive Rafal Modrzewski said.

## What this means

Russia is targeting Ukraine's export earnings at the point where they are most exposed, the queue before EU customs. Moving inspections into Poland, Slovakia or Romania would move that risk onto the territory of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). That requires agreement from governments whose farmers have [blockaded the same crossings](https://www.unn.com.ua/en/news/blockade-on-the-border-with-poland-polish-farmers-are-still-blocking-three-checkpoints-about-450-trucks-are-waiting-in-lines) against Ukrainian grain. The exposed parties are Ukrainian agricultural exporters, who need hard-currency revenue, the insurers covering cargo at the border, and Polish politicians caught between security and farm interests. The satellite project reflects the same calculation in another form. Kyiv is paying to reduce its dependence on any single foreign supplier, whether that is a border crossing it does not control or Starlink. The desk's read: the EU agrees to joint or relocated inspections at a few crossings within months, because Brussels can present it as a security measure. Poland's farm lobby will limit how far it extends. A Polish refusal before the 2027 parliamentary election season would leave the queues where they are and keep Ukrainian export volumes under pressure.

## What to watch

- Warsaw's formal response to the customs proposal. Agreement would show that security concerns now outweigh the farm lobby in Polish policy.
- More Russian strikes near EU border crossings. A hit on EU territory would raise pressure on NATO to respond.
- A funding and launch schedule for the Finnish-Ukrainian satellite system. A date would show that Europe is building military space capacity independent of American companies.