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Lithuania lifts ban on rail transport of goods into Russian exclave

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4 years ago

July 26, 2022

View of freight cars following the ban on Lithuanian goods transit through Russia's Kaliningrad exclave on the Baltic Sea. This was in Kaliningrad (Russia), 21 June, 2022.

Lithuania, the Baltic state, has lifted a ban on rail transport of sanctioned goods to and from Kaliningrad in Russia. This was announced by Russia's RIA news agency on Friday.

Last week, the European Union stated that the ban on transit only applied to road and not rail transit. Therefore, Lithuania should allow Russia to transport concrete, wood, and alcohol across EU territory to the exclave.

Lithuania had blocked Russia from sending sanctioned goods by rail to Kaliningrad, June. This triggered a protest from Moscow and promised swift retaliation.

RIA quoted Mantas Dubaskas, a spokesperson for the state railway company as saying that it had advised customers that they could ship goods again.

According to RIA, he said that it was possible for some goods to be transported today.

Separately, Tass news agency reported that a Kaliningrad official stated that 60 cement wagons would soon be transported into the exclave.

Kaliningrad lies between Lithuania and Poland, and is therefore isolated from Russia. Russian officials claimed that the ban could have affected as much as half of all cargo shipments to Kaliningrad. However, Lithuania stated that only 15% would be affected.

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