Kaliningrad Transit Crisis and Lithuania’s Sanctions Stance

The decision by Lithuania to restrict rail and road transit through its territory to Kaliningrad could affect the flow of goods starting September 1. This assessment comes from regional governor Anton Alikhanov of Kaliningrad. Earlier, Sergey Ryabokon, the acting head of Russia’s diplomatic mission in Lithuania, stated that Russian operators using Lithuanian Railways must cover the transportation costs. In response, Lithuania halted all transactions with the bank previously mentioned.

“The Lithuanians will either allow free passage, which I doubt, or they will not permit passage at all,” said Alikhanov.

On June 18, Lithuania blocked rail transit of goods to Kaliningrad through its territory. At the sole functioning cross-border checkpoint, Chernyshevskoye, queues of several hundred trucks carrying goods were frequently recorded. By July 17, more than a thousand Russian trucks were queued at times.

There was a moment, on July 22, when the problem appeared to be resolved. Then the state owned Lietuvos Gelezinkeliai announced a resumption of shipments of goods that are subject to European Union sanctions to Kaliningrad from July 22. The company informed partners that transport of the items necessary for Kaliningrad was permitted.

By July 26, the first train had delivered cement to Kaliningrad via Lithuania after the restrictions on rail transport were lifted.

public transport drama

On June 18, Lithuania began prohibiting the transit of sanctioned goods to Kaliningrad by rail from Russia. By June 21, it was revealed that the restrictions also affected trucking.

According to Alikhanov, the ban extended to concrete, timber, alcohol, and alcohol-based industrial chemicals starting July 11.

On June 21, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned about the seriousness of these embargo consequences. She called the Lithuanian actions offensive and hostile and suggested that dialogue could not proceed under those conditions.

Lithuania has maintained that it only enforces EU sanctions and has not imposed extra unilateral restrictions.

But on June 30, Der Spiegel reported that Brussels and Berlin pressed Lithuania to lift the transit ban. German officials, according to the article, were upset by Lithuania’s stance. Berlin reportedly did not share the view that sanctioned goods should not transit through EU territory and described it as shipping from Russia to Russia as permissible.

Der Spiegel cited sources saying Germany feared the conflict with Russia might escalate and that Moscow could attempt to establish a land corridor by force.

Europe’s silence and consent

On July 7, European Commission spokesperson Johannes Barke said the commission had not issued a statement to Lithuania about Kaliningrad transit and noted that there were no developments at that moment. EC spokesperson Daniel Ferry refused to answer whether Lithuania should ban the transit of cement, tobacco, and alcohol into Kaliningrad from July 10.

The EU has set transition periods for different measures, though the precise legal text was not at hand in that exchange.

Nevertheless, on July 13 AK published a document explaining sanctions on Russia and the rules for transit of goods to Kaliningrad via Lithuania. The document stated that road transit arranged by Russian operators is not allowed and that the transport of military or dual-use goods and technologies remains prohibited regardless of the mode of transport.

Alikhanov noted that European Commission guidance has removed more than 80 percent of transit restrictions. He cautioned that work remains to be done and that road transit for sanctioned goods, roughly 500 to 700 thousand tons annually, continues to be restricted. He added that rail transit through Lithuania, as overseen by EC guidance, is manageable with established cargo-control methods.