Russia could block flow of goods to Baltic states, says Kaliningrad governor

Anton Alikhanov says Moscow could block the flow of goods between itself and the Baltic states.

Russia could shut down the flow of goods between itself and the Baltic states because of Lithuania s ban on the transit of sanctioned goods between the Kaliningrad exclave and the rest of Russia, the region s governor said.

Anton Alikhanov said he had several proposals on how to deal with the ban on the movement of restricted products in Vilnius.

He told Russian TV channel Rossiya that the most severe response would be a ban on the transit of all goods through the Baltic states.

Moscow could block shipping from Asia to Baltic ports through Russia, as well as the goods entering Russia through those nations, according to the governor.

The governor stressed that the measure would be a serious, perhaps the most extreme response. Kaliningrad Region is a small Russian exclave between Lithuania and Poland. Vilnius banned the transit of some goods, including building materials, between Kaliningrad and the rest of Russia last month, citing EU sanctions over the military campaign in Ukraine.

Russia blasted the move as illegal and promised to retaliate, while authorities in Kaliningrad scrambled to have the affected goods delivered via the Baltic Sea.

Josep Borrell, the EU's top diplomat, argued that Lithuania's actions were necessary to control the sanctions. The governors of the regions denied that the flow of goods between Kaliningrad and the rest of Russia was a way to avoid sanctions. Europeans should not have any concerns about the Kaliningrad transit. It can't be used to bypass sanctions. Any statement to the contrary is nonsense, he told the news agency RIA Novosti on Tuesday.