Multi-Objective Optimization of Sustainable Cross-Border Freight Transport Under Wartime Disruptions: The EU–Ukraine Case

Disruptions at border crossing operations are forcing carriers to redirect freight flows to alternative routes. Such a solution can preserve delivery services but at the same time alters transport costs and direct CO2 emissions. This paper proposes an integer model for the allocation of road transport flows across crossings with limited throughput capacity. Demand servicing is maximised first, followed by separate minimisation of cost or direct CO2 emissions. The conditional operational resilience index R and timeliness indicator L are calculated after allocation for each static scenario. Dedicated comparisons hold each delivered OD quantity fixed. A case-informed computational experiment represents local and network-wide disruptions on routes between EU countries and Ukraine. Historical context and reference coefficients are combined with assumed demand, route distances, capacities and waiting times. The results obtained show that, in the event of a local capacity reduction, rerouting makes it possible to compensate for the loss of the original route, whereas simultaneously restricting all crossings leads to an inevitable underdelivery. Minimum costs and minimum emissions may correspond to different flow distributions; the nature of the compromise is determined by distances, waiting time and engine operating mode. Sensitivity analysis supports the service-volume benefit of flexible routing within the tested setup and shows that the cost–emission choice depends on the input parameters. The timeliness indicator L complements the assessment when delivery deadlines are tight. The proposed procedure can be used to check feasibility of rerouting and assess its implications following the calibration of demand, capacity and waiting time for a particular transport network.