The Estonian government will tighten controls on the transit of goods subject to EU sanctions, Ukrainska Pravda reports. Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said that attempts to evade sanctions continued to occur on the border with Russia. She noted that the EU’s latest sanctions package exacerbated the threats. The government will therefore replace the present risk-based…
US technology company Google has removed the official accounts of EU-sanctioned Russian performers, following a request from the Lithuanian Radio and Television Commission (LRTK), BNS reports. LRTK asked Google to remove the YouTube accounts of several Russian artists who have been placed under EU sanctions for actively supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine.
A major loophole in EU sanctions against Russia is being exploited via Belarus, evidenced by a luxury car traffic jam at the Latvia-Belarus border, LSM reports. Although luxury car exports to Russia are banned, they are allowed to Belarus, resulting in a 50-fold increase in car exports to Belarus via Latvia. This suggests that many…
Lithuania has implemented stricter controls on grain imports from Russia and other high-risk countries and territories as of 18 March 2024, BNS reports. Under the new rules, all shipments by land to the Lithuanian market or for export will be inspected. The Agriculture Ministry expects the controls to be extended to include checks on the…
Lithuanian farmers and grain processors are expressing increased concern over the import of Russian grain into the EU, LRT reports. Ausrys Macijauskas, chairman of the Lithuanian Grain Growers Association (LGAA), noted that 12mn tonnes of Russian grain was imported into the EU in 2023, including over 3mn tonnes via Latvia and Lithuania. Macijauskas said that…
The US ambassador to Latvia, Christopher Robinson, expressed concern about the potential for backsliding in Latvia’s fight against corruption, Baltic News Network reported. Speaking in an interview with TVNET, Robinson specifically highlighted Aivars Lembergs, the sanctioned former mayor of Ventspils, as a symbol of the dangers of returning to oligarchic influence. He said that the…
Vehicles with Russian licence plates will have to be entered into Lithuania’s national vehicle register or leave the country by 11 March 2024, the Lithuanian Customs Department (LRM) announced, ERR reports. Drivers violating the new rule risk fines and having their vehicles confiscated. Exceptions apply to vehicles transiting via Lithuania to or from Russia’s Kaliningrad…
Lithuania will close down two more checkpoints on the border with Belarus as of 1 March 2024, BNS reports. Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite said that closing the checkpoints in Lavoriskes and Raigardas would allow authorities to enforce sanctions, prevent smuggling, and screen incoming travellers more effectively. Also, the National Security Commission (NSK) proposed cutting the…
Around 2,000 farmers protested across Latvia against the government’s agriculture policies on 5 February 2024, according to the Farmers’ Parliament (ZSA), LSM reported. Police said that the protests passed peacefully with no significant incidents, LETA reported. Farmers staged rallies with agricultural machinery in altogether 16 cities, calling for a ban on imports of Russian and…