After the European Commission issued a clarification on how to apply sanctions on Russian vehicles, customs officers refused to allow 19 cars with Russian plates to enter Lithuania from Tuesday morning until Wednesday morning.
“Of these, 17 were through the Kybartai checkpoint, one through the Medininkai checkpoint and one through the Lavoriškės checkpoint. Customs continues to refuse to allow cars with Russian plates,” Customs Department spokeswoman Irmina Frolova-Milašienė told BNS on Wednesday.
According to the EC clarification issued at the end of last week, cars bought or registered in Russia cannot be allowed to enter the European Union. The document also states that the ban extends to personal belongings, such as laptops and smartphones. Lithuanian politicians say they are seeking further clarification from the EC on the latter.
Cars with Russian registration plates are not allowed to enter Lithuania since Monday, except in transit to or from Kaliningrad.
Darius Žvironas, director general of the Customs Department, told LRT RADIO on Wednesday that if drivers of cars with Russian plates do not obey instructions from officials, they may face charges and have their vehicles confiscated.
Some travellers had not heard of the new regulation, he said, but the flow may decrease as they learn about it.
According to Žvironas, Lithuania is “one step ahead” of other EU countries. On Tuesday, he said, he had talks with customs officials from Latvia, Estonia, Finland, and Poland.
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