Transit of Russian agricultural produce through Baltic state up 3.1-fold
In the Latvian town of Jekabpils, a large-scale protest took place on 7 November demanding a complete halt to the transit of grain from Russia and occupied Ukrainian territories. Hundreds of farmers joined the demonstration along with heavy machinery. This was reported by Ukrinform citing the State Revenue Service of Latvia, according to the portal PromPolitInform.
Participants of the rally under the slogan “No to bloody grain!” took to the streets holding national flags of Latvia and Ukraine, alongside banners calling for a halt to shipments of Russian goods. More than 300 citizens joined the manifestation, bringing approximately 200 vehicles onto the roads, including trucks, tractors, and passenger cars.
Prime Minister of Latvia Andris Kulbergs, who has repeatedly declared public opposition to Russian grain transit, joined the demonstration. He addressed the gathering to explain the ongoing legal constraints regarding the blockage of transit trade flows from the aggressor state.
Legal barriers at European Union level
The official conceded that the nation cannot unilaterally shut down transit routes due to a lack of consensus within the European Union. Independent measures implemented by Riga could trigger punitive fines from European institutions, which would negatively impact domestic agricultural producers.
According to the head of government, all Baltic nations are coordinating efforts to push for a comprehensive EU-wide ban on Russian agricultural cargo transit. He underlined the critical need to stop feeding the Kremlin’s war machine by tightening sanctions and eliminating profits derived from agricultural transit.
Threefold increase in transit volumes
The public outcry follows a dramatic surge in traffic from the aggressor state across the domestic transit corridor. Over the first ten months of the current year, the volume of Russian grain shipments via Latvia increased 3.1 times compared to the same period last year.
The aggregate freight volume reached 1.115 million tonnes over these ten months, up from roughly 357,000 tonnes recorded during the corresponding timeframe last year. Peak monthly volumes were registered in autumn: transit reached 346,952 tonnes in September and set a record at 425,163 tonnes in October.
Photo: Юрій Чорний
