On Monday, Russia demanded Lithuania revoke its ban imposed on the rail transit of goods to the Kaliningrad region, warning that it is ready to “take actions to protect its national interests.”
Denouncing the “openly hostile” move, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned Lithuanian Chargé d’Affaires Virginia Umbrasene to register a strong protest, indicating that it had violated international law. “The decision is indeed unprecedented,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov remarked, adding, “We understand that it stems from the European Union’s (EU) decision to expand sanctions to the transit of goods. We believe that it is illegal, too.”
The transit of passengers and #EU non-sanctioned goods to the #Kaliningrad region through the territory of #Lithuania continues uninterrupted. 🇱🇹 has not imposed any unilateral, individual, or additional restrictions on the transit and is acting fully in accordance with EU law. pic.twitter.com/qqgr9F84XM
— Lithuania MFA | #StandWithUkraine (@LithuaniaMFA) June 20, 2022
Last week, Lithuania declared a ban on the transit of sanctioned Russian goods, including coal, metals, construction materials and advanced technology, from Russia to the Kaliningrad region through its territory to enforce EU sanctions. Calling the move a “flagrant violation” and “an attempt to place the region in an economic chokehold,” Kaliningrad Governor Anton Alikhanov revealed that it will affect up to 50% of all goods.
“This is, of course, a situation, that can be resolved by diplomatic means,” Alikhanov told Russian television on Monday, adding that the goods were not planned for trade, but for “supplying” the region.
Russia has no right to threaten Lithuania. Moscow has only itself to blame for the consequences of its unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine. We commend Lithuania’s principled stance and stand firmly by our Lithuanian friends. @GLandsbergis
— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) June 20, 2022
Russian deputy speaker of the upper house of Russia’s parliament Konstantin Kosachev claimed that Lithuania’s provocative actions violate the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO). “Lithuania is a flagship of the destruction of international law,” he wrote on his Telegram channel on Saturday.
Similarly, Andrey Klishas, who chairs the Russian Federation Council Committee on Constitutional Legislation and State Building, said Vilnius’ move “undermines Russian sovereignty” over the Kaliningrad region, and “may force Russia to retaliate with very tough and absolutely legitimate measures.”
Russia is blaming Lithuania for implementing EU sanctions on Kaliningrad
— Samuel Ramani (@SamRamani2) June 20, 2022
Lithuania was not the ideational leader behind these road transit sanctions. Poland's plan to end the war in Ukraine was a much bigger contributor.
However, the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry informed the Russian Chargé d’Affaires Sergey Ryabokon that the transit of people and non-sanctioned Russian goods continues “uninterrupted.” “Lithuania has not imposed any unilateral, individual, or additional restrictions on the transit,” it said in a statement, adding that the ban is in “in accordance with EU law and [was placed] in consultations with the European Commission and based on its assessments.”
“It’s not Lithuania doing anything: it’s European sanctions that started working from 17 of June,” Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis told reporters in Luxembourg, adding that Russia had released some “false information.” “At this point, about slightly less than half of goods that transit Lithuania are on the sanctions list, but that doesn’t mean that all of them are under sanctions right now. Because there are different wind-down periods, and some of it, for example oil, will be sanctioned just at the end of the year, starting from December, even though the authorities have announced it is sanctioned already, which is not true actually,” he remarked.
In this respect, European Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis confirmed that he had talked to Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda who said that Vilnius was applying EU sanctions. “If it is application of the EU sanctions, it’s clear that we need to be with our member states applying the sanctions,” Dombrovskis noted.
#Lithuania has not taken any unilateral national restrictions against russia and applies only #EU sanctions, says @JosepBorrellF. pic.twitter.com/I1K5WDuWrt
— #Lithuania 🇱🇹 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 (@Lithuania) June 20, 2022
Kaliningrad is a small Russian exclave with a population of half a million. It is situated between EU and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members, with Lithuania to its north and east and Poland to its south. Most Russian exports are transported via the rail route between mainland Russia and the exclave. However, with this latest measure, Moscow will now have to increase its air and sea shipping traffic to supply sanctioned goods.
Meanwhile, the Lithuanian ban led to panic buying by people in the Kaliningrad region amid fears that Russian energy, which passes through Lithuania, would be blocked next. However, Governor Alikhanov assured the citizens that energy supplies will last till August 10. “I ask you to remain calm. My team and I are engaged in solving all the problems that arise in our region, and we will definitely cope with everything,” he affirmed.
Alikhanov also said that the government is trying to deliver goods by ship through the Baltic Sea, and two vessels are already in service while seven more will be added by the end of the year. “Our ferries will handle all the cargo,” he stressed.
This Lithuania’s partial blockade of goods to Russia’s exclave Kaliningrad is something to watch. Lithuania is fully justified in taking this step blocking prohibited goods from transiting its territory. Russia will see this as a provocation & escalation & will seek to respond. https://t.co/xhJsiXPQyp
— Alexander S. Vindman (@AVindman) June 20, 2022
Lithuania has downgraded diplomatic relations with Russia since the beginning of the Ukraine war. In coordination with Bulgaria, Latvia and Estonia, it expelled four Russian diplomats. Furthermore, Vilnius was the first EU country to stop all Russian gas imports in April. In fact, in a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda had supported imposing a blanket ban on Russian energy imports and providing arms to Kyiv.
In this regard, the Lithuanian Defence Ministry announced military aid worth $16.4 million to Ukraine last month, consisting of 20 M113 armoured personnel carriers, ten military trucks, and ten mine clearance SUVs, bringing its total aid to over $121.4 million. Moreover, Lithuanian citizens also raised $5.4 million to buy the Turkish combat drone Byrakter TB2 for Ukraine.
Furthermore, Nausėda has announced plans to establish a Ukrainian culture and education hub in the capital city, Vilnius.