Russia continues to make waves: it hastened to blame Lithuania for the lack of tickets to Kaliningrad
“Since the beginning of the summer season, there has been a shortage of train tickets between Kaliningrad, Moscow and St. Petersburg. They are especially in demand among people who go on vacation to the Kaliningrad region and those who cannot fly. Today, the train ticket from Moscow to Kaliningrad can previously be purchased only on August 22”, – the message of the positive ticket sales agency.
The problem is associated with the restrictions introduced in Lithuania at the beginning of the pandemic. However, despite the fact that the situation due to the coronavirus pandemic has improved, the Lithuanian side continues to limit the number of transit passengers on long-distance trains: it must not exceed 250 people.
This information was also confirmed by the press service of the Russian Federal Passenger Transport Company (subsidiary company of “Russian Railways”).
“We ourselves have never artificially reduced the volume of transportation. During the pandemic, they were affected by the restrictions introduced by the Republic of Lithuania, which have not yet been lifted,” the comment states.
ELTA reminds that after the entry into force of EU sanctions, Lithuania restricted the transit of steel and ferrous metals to Kaliningrad.
As the responsible authorities claim, this ban by the Lithuanian authorities on the sanctioned shipment to Kaliningrad is based on EU sanctions, intended for government goods. At that time, he considered the suspension of Russian transit to Kaliningrad illegal and unprecedented, and threatened a response that would affect all the country’s residents.
The head of the EU’s foreign policy, Josep Borrell, stated to the press that Lithuania has not taken any unilateral national restrictions and only abides by Community sanctions, so the accusations are just propaganda. However, like the international media, Brussels is willing to re-examine the legal aspects of this decision and may provide instructions on the application of sanctions.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė said on Thursday that Lithuania continued the implementation of the fourth package of EU sanctions on Russia and will stop the transit of other sanctioned goods from Russia to Kaliningrad from July 10, when they come into force.
According to her, the clients of “Lietuvos geležinkėliu” – Russian carriers – have been informed about the expected restrictions.
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