Lithuania Bans Transit Of Sanctioned Goods Bound For Russia

Lithuanian authorities said a ban on goods subject to European Union (EU) sanctions transiting through their territory to the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad will take effect on Saturday, according to Reuters' Andrius Sytas.

Photo Insert: Anton Alikhanov, Governor of Kaliningrad

The ban was announced in a video posted by the region's governor, Anton Alikhanov, on Friday. The EU sanctions list prominently includes coal, metals, construction materials, and advanced technology, and Alikhanov estimated that the ban would cover roughly half of Kaliningrad's imports.

The cargo arm of Lithuania's state railways service confirmed its immediate start in a letter to clients following "clarification" from the European Commission on the mechanism for applying the sanctions.

Mantas Adomenas, Lithuania's Deputy Foreign Minister, told public broadcaster LRT that his ministry was awaiting "clarification from the European Commission on applying European sanctions to Kaliningrad cargo transit."

Kaliningrad, which is sandwiched between EU and NATO members Poland and Lithuania, receives supplies from Russia via rail and gas pipelines that run through Lithuania.

The enclave, which houses the headquarters of Russia's Baltic sea fleet, was captured from Nazi Germany by the Red Army in April 1945 and ceded to the Soviet Union following World War II.

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