Kaliningrad Sanctions and the EU Tug-of-War: A Fragile Standoff

“Otherwise – a dangerous dead end”

The looming seventh round of sanctions is expected to spell out that restricting supplies from Russia to Kaliningrad is unacceptable. A notion echoed in the Izvestia article. Brussels may need to press Lithuania to allow Russian shipments again.

The piece also notes that the European Union sent a draft document to Russia in early July proposing the removal of Lithuanian sanctions on Kaliningrad.

“The document states that restricting the flow of goods between Russian federal subjects is not permissible, meaning all goods bound for the region should be exempt from the sanctions lists. This applies to both rail and road transport,” a source explained.

It added that sorting out all final details between Brussels and Vilnius took several weeks. At the same time, Lithuania has rejected the compromise offered within the EU. An Izvestia insider attributes this to pressure from the United States on the Baltic nation.

Grigory Karasin, head of the International Relations Committee of the Federation Council, told the publication that Moscow expects a quick resolution to the dispute over Russia’s outer zone.

“There is optimism. Common sense should prevail among our European partners, and Lithuanian leaders may meet the challenge with measured restraint. If not, the situation could stall and become dangerous, which would be unacceptable,” the senator warned.

A second Izvestia source suggested that the inadmissibility of the Kaliningrad blockade could be written as a separate line in the seventh sanctions package expected in July. This approach would help secure agreement on the voting exception, the source said.

Siege of Kaliningrad

Kaliningrad is a Russian exclave bordered by Poland and Lithuania. Most of the goods reaching the region transit through Lithuania from Russia.

On June 18, it was reported that Lithuania halted shipments of sanctioned goods to Kaliningrad. By June 21, the restrictions extended to freight movement as well as rail transport.

Spiegel reported that despite protests from Moscow and Berlin, Vilnius refused to lift restrictions, fearing escalation and a harsh response from Russia. Lithuanian officials maintained that the country is not imposing unilateral sanctions but continually applying EU sanctions.

Since July 11, in line with the sanctions package adopted in March, Lithuania expanded the list of goods barred from transit. Reuters noted that the measures affected concrete, timber, and various alcohol and chemical products heading to Kaliningrad.

The Kaliningrad governor, Anton Alikhanov, floated a wider restriction on movement between the Baltic states and Russia in response. He proposed blocking goods in transit, including those originating from third countries, to keep ships away from Kaliningrad’s ports and to stabilize the market for maritime transport. He also suggested setting a sea tariff level aligned with railway tariffs to protect port operations.

Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian foreign ministry, commented on Soloviev Live that the “clock is ticking” and Moscow’s patience has limits. She warned that Russia’s response would be proportional if Vilnius does not lift the restrictions.

According to Lithuanian Railways, sanctioned goods account for about 15 percent of all freight moved by rail from Russia to Kaliningrad.