The governor of Kaliningrad said that a train brought cement from Russia to the exclave on Tuesday, marking the first such journey since the European Union ordered Lithuania to permit Russian goods to pass across its borders.
“It is true that the first train since the EU judgment has arrived,”
Regional governor Anton Alikhanov was quoted by the TASS news agency as stating.
It is “quite a significant accomplishment,” he said.
KALININGRAD IS REACHED BY THE FIRST Russian train
Russia’s heavily militarized exclave of Kaliningrad, wedged between Lithuania and fellow EU and NATO member Poland, is significantly reliant on supplies from the Russian Federation’s main land. However, these must pass through Lithuania.
Since Russia launched soldiers into Ukraine in February, the area, which has about one million residents and is nearly half the size of Switzerland, has grown more and more isolated.
In response to EU sanctions against Russia over its military action, Vilnius said last month that it would prohibit the rail transit of some Russian commodities across its borders.
‘BLOCKADE’
The “blockade,” which at the time included coal, metals, and building supplies, could have a negative impact on up to 50% of the exclave’s imports, according to Alikhanov.
However, the European Union stated this month that Lithuania has a duty to permit the transit of commodities subject to sanctions, with the exception of weapons, between the Russian mainland and Kaliningrad.
Kaliningrad, which the Red Army had taken from Germany in the final stages of World War II, was cut off from the Russian mainland when the Soviet Union fell apart and Lithuania gained independence.