Lithuanian railways ban transportation of sanctioned goods through Lithuania to Russia

Lithuania’s railway company LTG Cargo will no longer allow transportation of sanctioned goods through its territory from mainland Russia to Russia’s Kaliningrad region and back, regional governor Anton Alikhanov said, citing a notice by LTG Cargo.

The Kaliningrad region is a semi-exclave, bordered by Poland to the south, Lithuania to the north and east, and the Baltic Sea to the west.

The notice by LTG Cargo says that the company only allows transportation of goods that were loaded before 17 June inclusive and transported through Lithuania.

According to preliminary estimates, Lithuania banned transportation of 40 to 50% of goods to the Kaliningrad region, including construction materials, concrete, metals, as well as “finished goods” transported from the region.

The governor stated that the region needs to introduce new vessels traveling between Baltiysk, a seaport town in the Kaliningrad region, and Ust-Luga, a port in mainland Russia with access to the Baltic Sea. Lithuania’s decision is “an attempt to suffocate the region’s economy,” he added.