Opponents of the war are making truck traffic in the direction of Russia more difficult - activist reports

Created: 03/22/2022, 16:38

Scene from December 2021: trucks on the Polish border with Belarus © Dominika Zarzycka/Imago

Are the carriers evading sanctions against Russia?

Because of the Ukraine war, Poles prevented several trucks from continuing to Belarus.

• Activists block the movement of goods to Russia and Belarus.

• 
  

  The allegation of circumvention of sanctions is in the room.

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  Traffic jams and delays in Poland and Lithuania lead to price increases in Kaliningrad.

Koroszczyn - Poland is the most important country for the transfer of goods to Russia*.

In 2021, 11 million tons of cargo with a total value of more than 66 billion euros were transported from the European Union to Russia via Poland.

The largest exporter was Germany* with a goods value of 19.4 billion euros.

Poland* took second place with 7.2 billion euros.

Truck traffic officially destined for Belarus was worth 6.4 billion euros.

Since the morning of March 19, activists have been blocking access roads to the border crossing in Koroszczyn.

Wrapped in Ukrainian flags and flags of the country that was brutally invaded by Russia, they stood on the streets leading to the border crossing.

Ukraine war: activist Panschenko criticizes the EU for truck traffic

One of the organizers of the protests is the now internationally known Ukrainian activist Natalia Panchenko.

The young woman, who lives in Poland, spoke in Polish media about the blockade of truck traffic towards Russia.

"What the European Union is doing is a scandal," Panchenko told Polish television cameras.

According to the activists, the trucks were loaded with goods intended to supply the Russian army.

Panchenko explained that steel and other goods are also transported through Polish border crossings.

Furthermore, the carriers try to disguise the actual destinations of their journeys.

Some allegedly presented themselves to the activists as humanitarian transports with Ukrainian flags and cross symbols on the front window.

In reality, it is a question of goods traffic destined for the continuation of the Russian war.

Ukrainian activist Panschenko complains: Sanctioned goods get to Russia

The activist stressed that it is a fallacy to label goods with the destination Belarus.

There are no goods controls between Belarus and Russia, so the goods affected by the sanctions reach Russia without any obstacles.

These are often products that are used directly or indirectly in war.

However, the Polish customs authorities emphasize that they not only check the papers, but also the freight itself in the holds.

RTG scans, which examine the containers, are also common.

The press secretary of the Biała Podlaska police station, Barbara Salczyńska-Pyrchla, said that on Sunday afternoon, the second day of the blockade, loud discussions broke out between the truck drivers and the activists.

However, the police were able to calm the situation.

Russia sanctions: Kaliningrad's supplies are faltering

The Russian enclave of Kaliningrad with around 420,000 inhabitants has no direct land connection with Russia.

To the south of the city lies the border with Poland, and to the north and east Kaliningrad borders with Lithuania.

Supply from Russia is only via the Baltic Sea or by air.

In the past, this meant that the city had a particularly high price level.

Now the westernmost Russian city is hit particularly hard by the sanctions.

At the beginning of March, governor Anton Alikhanov was still combative and said: "We are ready for anything and can cope with any difficulties".

But the locals see it differently.

Significant price increases are already being discussed in the media.

Kaliningraders are increasingly restricting their consumption.

According to local media, Kaliningrad retail chains warned that "due to the truck queues on the Belarus-Lithuania border, problems have arisen with the food supply of the Kaliningrad region", which could increase the prices of the products.

Prices rose by 21.5 percent.

War in Ukraine: Lithuania declares state of emergency

A state of emergency was declared in Lithuania in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The state of emergency also led to increased border security.

Any holidays for Lithuanian border officials have been canceled and controls at the borders with Russia and Belarus have been tightened.

Of particular importance to Kaliningrad residents is the gas pipeline that supplies the city with gas.

The NATO countries could potentially exert considerable pressure on Russia via this Minsk-Vilnius-Kaunas-Kaliningrad gas pipeline.

However, even under the current circumstances, Kaliningrad's gas supply has never been hindered by neighboring countries.

By Aleksandra Fedorska

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