Western sanctions increase Kaliningrad's isolation, sea routes overloaded - SVR
Kyiv • UNN
Western sanctions after Russia's invasion of Ukraine are increasing the isolation of Kaliningrad, which has no land connection with Russia. This has led to overloaded sea routes and problems for small businesses in the region.
Western sanctions against Russia for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 are intensifying the isolation of Kaliningrad, which has no land connection to the rest of the Russian Federation and is connected only by sea. This was reported by the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, according to UNN.
Details
Despite the annexation of Crimea and the beginning of the occupation of Donbas in 2014, most supplies to Kaliningrad were carried out through Lithuania, but now, due to quotas and restrictions, the route has become unavailable.
The load has shifted to sea routes: if in 2019 cabotage amounted to 0.4 million tons, then in 2024, the company "Oboronlogistika" alone transported over 2 million tons. However, the ferry infrastructure turned out to be overloaded – queues, lack of space, and a reduction in the fleet complicate supplies
At the same time, small businesses in the Kaliningrad region found themselves in an extremely difficult situation: large operators are pushing their smaller competitors out of the market and reserving places in advance, using administrative resources.
Sanctions not only destabilize logistics but also deepen socio-economic imbalances in the region, demonstrating the vulnerability of the system
Recall
The European Parliament is considering proposals to accelerate the European Union's rejection of Russian gas by one year - until January 2027.