Russian trains pass large photos of war in Ukraine in Lithuanian capital Vilnius AFP
EU responds to Russia: no blockade of Kaliningrad exclave
There is no question of a blockade of the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea, Lithuania and the EU say. Kaliningrad is sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania and is normally supplied by rail from Belarus and Lithuania.
Last weekend, Lithuania decided that certain Russian goods can no longer be transported via the rail route. The background to the Lithuanian decision is the sanctions list that has been agreed within the EU. According to Lithuania, the decision is a consequence of the implementation of those sanctions.
Other goods will soon be added to the list of goods banned from the Lithuanian track. In July the transport of concrete and alcohol will come to an end, in August it will be the turn of coal and from December also oil. According to the governor of the region, 50 percent of the goods Kaliningrad normally receives is by rail.
The railway route from Russia to the Kaliningrad ex exclave
Russia reacted furiously, and speaks of a blockade. Kremlin spokesman Peskov said Russia “reserves the right to take action to defend its national interests”. It is unclear what exactly Peskov is referring to. As a member of NATO, Lithuania is protected by Article 5, should Russia decide to enter Lithuanian territory.
More than 400,000 people live in the Russian exclave. The region is of great strategic importance. Russia has stationed there missiles that can be equipped with nuclear warheads and Kaliningrad is the home port of the Baltic fleet. The exclave can simply be supplied by Russia by sea.
That is also why EU foreign affairs coordinator Josep Borrell rejects any comparison with the blockade of Ukrainian ports: “The rest of the world is not affected by what is happening in Kaliningrad, but by what is happening in Ukraine.”
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