A ban on transporting Russian coal and solid fuel through the EU came into force on August 10 under the EU’s fifth sanction package.
However, the ban is subject to an exception in Lithuania under the European Commission’s clarification. A limited amount of sanctioned products can be transported by rail between mainland Russia and the exclave of Kaliningrad via Lithuania.
Based on data provided by Lietuvos Gelezinkeliai (Lithuanian Railways, LTG), the country’s state-owned railway company, 1 million tons of coal was transported by rail from mainland Russia to Kaliningrad via Lithuania in January-May.
Russia resumed the transit of sanctioned goods to and from Kaliningrad in July, about a month after Lithuania had stopped it on the basis of an EU regulation adopted in April and the EC’s earlier clarification.
After Russia protested what it termed a blockade of Kaliningrad region and threatened to retaliate, the EC issued updated guidance in July, allowing rail transit to resume, with this year’s freight volumes to be calculated based on the average of goods transported in 2019-2021.
The ban on Russian steel and ferrous metals came into force on June 17, followed by a ban on the transit of cement, alcohol, wood, glass, aluminum, paper products, gypsum and ship parts on July 10. A ban on Russian oil and its products is set to come into force on December 5. (LRT/Business World Magazine)