It is being reported in the Zimbabwe press that 17 fire trucks purchased by the government of Zimbabwe from a supplier in Belarus were seized in March 2023 by the Lithuanian authorities on suspicion of the export and/or sale of the fire trucks breaching the EU’s Belarus sanctions.
It is also being reported that diplomatic efforts by Zimbabwe to secure the release of the trucks have so far been unsuccessful.
The report further states that the trucks are said to contain components manufactured by an entity included as a designated person under the Belarus sanctions.
While an investigation remains ongoing into the transshipment of the fire trucks to Zimbabwe via Lithuania it is unclear on what basis the fire trucks remain detained.