KALININGRAD, June 21. /TASS/. The authorities of the Kaliningrad region have fully ensured energy security of the Russian exclave, while Lithuania is blocking the transit of goods to the region through its territory, Governor of the Kaliningrad region Anton Alikhanov said on Tuesday.
He said that in terms of energy supplies the region does not depend on neighboring EU countries.
"The energy security [of the Kaliningrad region] is now fully ensured, we can exist in the "energy island" mode without depending on the decisions of neighboring states regarding the flow of electricity or any attempts to block gas supplies," he said in an interview with the Rossiya 24 TV channel.
Alikhanov said that the situation in the region is messy, but manageable. He reminded that Russia's retaliatory measures could be tangible for the economies of the Baltic countries. Alikhanov also noted that the EU representatives "are not even trying to come up with" the reasons why they refused to fulfill their obligations to ensure unhindered transit of goods to the Kaliningrad region.
On restrictions of transit
As Alikhanov said on June 17, Lithuanian railway officials had notified Kaliningrad that starting on June 18, they would restrict the transit of a number of goods from Russia proper to the Kaliningrad Region due to European sanctions.
Alikhanov also published a notice from the Lithuanian railway to customers. Trucks were not mentioned in the document but on Tuesday, there were media reports citing drivers of heavy trucks that they were no longer allowed to pass through the territory of Lithuania.
The governor noted that Lithuania’s actions are illegal and violate agreements, because when the Baltic country joined the EU, it guaranteed the preservation of transit to Kaliningrad.
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the decision of Vilnius unprecedented and illegal. In the next few days, Russia will conduct a "deep analysis" of the situation, following which it will develop retaliatory measures, he said. Lithuania assures that it has not introduced any unilateral or additional restrictions, but only "consistently applies EU sanctions."
On Monday, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said that there is no blockade of Kaliningrad, land transit passengers and goods continues, and only the transportation of goods included in the EU sanctions lists has been stopped.