Russian Railway partly suspends cargo shipments moved by transit to Poland via Belarus

Amid the raging war in Ukraine, the Russian Railways has partly suspended certain cargo shipments moved by transit through Belarus to Poland. "Shipments of certain goods routed to Poland by transit via Belarus have been suspended," the Russian Railways said in a statement, reported TASS news agency. However, it also pointed out that there hasn't been a total shutdown of traffic to Poland. Meanwhile, a Russian official claimed that approximately 30% of the entire amount of exports by rail are commodities that are subject to sanctions and are not allowed to transit to the country's exclave of Kaliningrad in the Baltic Sea.

"About 30% of sanctioned goods are transported by rail. This volume can be quickly redirected to ships," Evgenia Kukushkina, Minister of Infrastructure Development of the region, stated. In order to prevent speculative price spikes, she also urged the people of the Kaliningrad region not to generate artificial excitement for items that are still in transit. Meanwhile, Lithuanian railways have also restricted the transit of a number of goods from Russia's mainland to the Kaliningrad region owing to European sanctions.

Ukraine and Moldova to restart railway services

Notably, Ukraine and Moldova are mulling resuming the railway services including the freight train operations in the autumn of this year. According to reports, the freight railway route in the Berezino (Ukraine)-Basarabeasca (Moldova) railway section will be opened in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ukrainian Infrastructure Ministry and the Moldovan Infrastructure and Regional Development Ministry. While Moldova will construct 1.2 kilometres of train tracks, Ukraine will build around 23 kilometres.

Poland builds 140-km-long wall alongside Belarus border

It is pertinent to mention here that Poland has also completed the construction of a 140-kilometre-long wall across the border with Belarus in an attempt to address the issues of refugees as well as security. The Polish Border Guard Service stated that the first section of the constructed barrier at the border has been put into operation. "The acceptance of the remaining ones is in progress. The spans are already positioned at a length of 140 km," it added. It further stated that the installation of the electronic barrier will begin in the coming days. 

Image: AP