A sharp rise in recorded violations is driving a broader debate over how the Baltic state monitors Russia’s sensitive land corridor.
Lithuania is proposing stricter transit rules for Russian citizens. Lithuanian Seimas member Arvydas Anušauskas has registered amendments to the law on the state border and its protection, which would reduce the permitted travel time through the country to six hours.
The initiative concerns transit journeys between mainland Russia and the Kaliningrad region. To monitor compliance with the new limit, the proposal calls for the use of automatic vehicle license plate recognition systems.
How transit through Lithuania would be monitored
According to Arvydas Anušauskas’s plan, existing infrastructure should automatically determine the time a vehicle enters Lithuania and leaves the country. The system should also detect when a vehicle deviates from its designated route.
The six-hour limit would not apply unconditionally. If objective reasons arise, transit time could be extended, but only up to a maximum of 24 hours. Such circumstances would include vehicle breakdowns, traffic accidents, border queues, and severe weather conditions.
The MP emphasized that the proposed changes do not conflict with European Union rules. The current 2003 EU Council Regulation sets the maximum transit duration at 24 hours.
Call to review EU rules
Arvydas Anušauskas asked Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius to assess how effectively transit between Russia and the Kaliningrad region is currently monitored. In letters to Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys and Interior Minister Martynas Katelinas, he called for the issue to be raised at the international level.
The 2003 EU regulation allowing 24-hour transit was adopted under entirely different geopolitical circumstances. Today, the Russian Federation is waging war against Ukraine and conducting hybrid operations against the EU. Therefore, I call on the government and the relevant ministers to initiate a review of this EU regulation in cooperation with other countries.
– Arvydas Anušauskas
The MP’s plan envisages not only stricter controls in Lithuania, but also the development of a common position with Latvia, Estonia, Poland, and other countries. It also proposes appealing to the European Commission to update EU regulations.
The number of transit rule violations has increased
According to the State Border Guard Service, nearly 13,000 passenger cars with Russian license plates travelled through Lithuania in 2025 using simplified transit documents.
The number of recorded violations increased significantly, from 360 cases in 2024 to 1,493 in 2025. If the Seimas approves the amendments, the new transit rules for Russian citizens are expected to take effect on January 1, 2027.