Moscow threatens NATO member Lithuania over transit ban on goods to Russia's European exclave Kaliningrad - CBS News

Jun 22, 2022

Lithuania's decision to ban the transit of certain goods between Russia and its isolated exclave of Kaliningrad has provoked wrath among top officials in Moscow, and even a threat of retaliation against the European nation.

Kaliningrad shares land borders with two NATO nations, Lithuania and Poland, but not Russia.

On June 18, European Union member Lithuania prohibited the transit of all goods subject to EU sanctions imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine via the rail link.

In response, Lithuania said it was simply complying with EU decisions and stressed that the transit of passengers and non-sanctioned goods "continues uninterrupted." .

The transit of passengers and #EU non-sanctioned goods to the #Kaliningrad region through the territory of #Lithuania continues uninterrupted.

Anton Alikhanov, the Governor of Kaliningrad, said the ban was affecting about half of all imports to the territory.

Both the Kremlin and Russia's Foreign Ministry echoed Patrushev's threats of "practical" retaliation against Lithuania, but Moscow hasn't yet indicated what that will entail.

Three decades after they severed ties with the Soviet Union, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia still depend on Russia for much of their power supply

Last year, however, Lithuania established a way to connect to the continental European grid via Poland, lowering its dependence on Moscow