{"id":255120,"date":"2022-06-21T06:45:27","date_gmt":"2022-06-21T06:45:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/?p=255120"},"modified":"2022-06-23T06:55:01","modified_gmt":"2022-06-23T06:55:01","slug":"anger-as-lithuania-bans-transit-of-goods-to-russia-exclave-kaliningrad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/?p=255120","title":{"rendered":"Anger as Lithuania bans transit of goods to Russia exclave Kaliningrad"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yahoo News \u2013 June 2022<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Lithuania has banned the transit of some goods through its territory from Russia to its exclave of Kaliningrad.<\/p>\n

It includes coal, metals, construction materials and advanced technology, accounting for around 50% of all goods that Kaliningrad imports.<\/p>\n

Moscow said the move was “unprecedented” and “unlawful” and threatened to respond.<\/p>\n

Lithuania’s foreign minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said his country was simply implementing sanctions imposed by the EU, of which it is a member.<\/p>\n

He said the measures introduced on Saturday were taken after \u201cconsultation with the European Commission and under its guidelines\u201d.<\/p>\n

Kaliningrad is a Russian exclave sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania.\u00a0Home to some 430,000 people, it is isolated from the rest of Russia.<\/p>\n

Trains with goods for Kaliningrad travel via Belarus and Lithuania. There’s no transit through Poland. Russia can still supply the exclave by sea, without falling foul of EU sanctions.<\/p>\n

‘Unprecedented’ and ‘unlawful’<\/h2>\n

The local governor in Kaliningrad,\u00a0 Anton Alikhanov, urged people not to resort to panic buying and assured residents that two ships were already ferrying goods between Kaliningrad and Saint Petersburg – with seven more vessels expected to be in service by the end of the year.<\/p>\n

“Our ferries will handle all the cargo,” the governor said.<\/p>\n

Continues \u2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Comment \u2013 June 20, 2022<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Lithuania\u2019s decision to block rail transportation links between Russia and its exclave in Kalingrad will be seen as deliberately provocative by hawks in Moscow.<\/p>\n

Was that the intention?<\/p>\n

Although Russia can still supply Kalingrad by ferry, it should be noted that Lithuania has been a full member of NATO since 2004. So any involvement of the Russian military in trying to reopen rail links might be seen as justifying a full NATO response.<\/p>\n

IF<\/strong><\/em> that was the intention then the West is playing a very dangerous game. Both Britain and Germany recently expanded their military presence<\/a> in the Baltic state. Was that done in preparation for something like this?<\/p>\n

Whatever the objective, taken with the situation in Ukraine the West appears to be moving inexorably toward a wider conflict with Russia.<\/p>\n

Gonzalo Lira gives his take on the full implications of the rail closure below:<\/p>\n

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