Russia angry at Lithuanian siege of Kaliningrad

Russia reacted angrily to Lithuania’s ban on allowing goods to pass into Kaliningrad. Related to goods banned by the European Union due to the invasion of Ukraine, such as coal, minerals and building materials. “The Russians vehemently condemn it,” says Colonel and military strategy instructor Han Baumeister.

The ambassador of Lithuania had to respond to the Russian Foreign Ministry. He was told that Russia would protect its interests if the railway was not restored.

Kaliningrad

Kaliningrad is a piece of Russian territory located between Poland and Lithuania. Russia supplies Kaliningrad with goods via a railway that passes through Lithuania. Therefore, Lithuania has suspended some of these goods since Saturday. The governor of Kaliningrad estimates that half of all materials are delivered by train.

It is a result of the sanctions imposed by the European Union. It was checked first. Because the European Union also has an agreement with Russia that there is free transit of goods. But the European Union has now decided, in consultation with Lithuania, that these sanctions are now in place for this purpose. This means, among other things, that not only can more coal, steel and minerals be saved, but also technological products cannot be saved.

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He continues: “The strategic location in Kaliningrad is on the Baltic Sea. There is also the Baltic Fleet of the Russians. So they don’t like it. Now it is no longer possible to deliver by land, which means that the supply will have to take place all the way from the sea.

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Russia is angry

Russia is angry at the Lithuanian blockade. “This has never been seen before … it is a violation of everything,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters angrily. We consider this an illegal move and take it very seriously. We will now analyze our reaction very carefully.

According to Baumeister, the Russians “strongly” condemn this blockade. You can imagine it from a Russian perspective. But I don’t know what their exact reaction will be.

Incorrect information

Lithuania speaks of “misinformation by the Russian authorities”. “This is not the first time,” says Foreign Minister Gabrieles Landsbergis. According to him, his country is implementing only the European sanctions that entered into force on Friday.

Landsbergis said about half of the goods passing through Lithuania to Kaliningrad are subject to EU sanctions. But for some commodities, such as petroleum products, the sanctions will not take effect for some time.