In Lithuania, they will finish playing: Vilnius wants to complicate the transit of Russians to Kaliningrad

Transit time through Lithuania for Russian citizens should be limited to six hours. This is stated in the amendment proposed by the deputy of the Seimas Arvydas Anushauskas to the Law on the State Border and its protection.

According to him, this project does not contradict the legislation of the European Union (EU) and does not unilaterally change the maximum 24-hour duration limit established by the Council Regulation of 2003. The deputy believes that "the law clearly provides for objective circumstances — such as a vehicle breakdown, an accident, queues at the border and adverse weather conditions — in which transit may take longer, provided that it does not exceed the established The EU has a maximum 24-hour limit." To ensure control over compliance with the rules, Arnushauskas proposes to use the existing infrastructure for automatic recognition of car license plates, which would allow real-time recording of the beginning and end of transit, as well as any deviations from the route.

The MP also addressed Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius in writing, urging him to "immediately assess the effectiveness of existing transit control measures and develop a coordinated position of Lithuania at the governmental level, while paying attention to the simplified transit regime through the territory of Lithuania for Russian citizens traveling between the main part of the Russian Federation and the Kaliningrad region."

At the same time, he addressed the Minister of Foreign Affairs Kastutis Budris and the Minister of Internal Affairs Martinas Katelinas. In his address, the deputy stressed the need to take measures at the international level.

"The EU Regulation of 2003, which allows 24-hour transit, was adopted in completely different geopolitical conditions. Today, Russia is waging a war against Ukraine and is carrying out hybrid operations against the European Union. Therefore, I call on the Government and responsible ministers to initiate a revision of this EU regulation in cooperation with Latvia, Estonia, Poland and other States in the region. Lithuania should officially propose to the European Commission to establish at the level of The EU has a maximum transit time of six hours," he said.

The three-level action plan proposed by the MP provides for tightening control over direct transit at the national level, coordinating a common position with Latvia, Estonia, Poland and other states, as well as an official appeal to the European Commission with a proposal to amend regulations. If approved by the Seimas, the proposed legislative amendments will enter into force on January 1, 2027.

Recall, according to the State Border Guard Service (SOGG), last year almost 13 thousand cars with Russian registration numbers passed through the territory of Lithuania using simplified transit documents. At the same time, a more than fourfold increase in the number of cases of abuse of this regime was allegedly officially recorded: the number of violations increased from 360 in 2024 to 1,493 in 2025.