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Lithuania Prepares Strict Six-Hour Time Limit on Russian Transit
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Lithuanian lawmaker Arvydas Anušauskas has registered amendments to the Law on the State Border and Its Guard, proposing to cut transit time through Lithuanian territory for Russian citizens down to six hours.
Last year, nearly 13,000 passenger cars with Russian license plates crossed Lithuania under simplified transit documents, according to Delfi on August 17.
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During that time, documented cases of transit abuse jumped sharply, rising from 360 violations in 2024 to 1,493 in 2025. The lawmaker noted that Russian citizens are increasingly violating transit rules while crossing Lithuania.
He emphasized that the proposal does not breach European Union legislation or unilaterally alter the maximum 24-hour limit set by the Council Regulation of 2003.
The draft law explicitly accounts for objective delays, including vehicle breakdowns, traffic accidents, border queues, and bad weather, which allow for longer transit as long as the total travel time does not exceed the EU maximum 24-hour cap.
To enforce compliance, Anušauskas suggests utilizing existing automatic license plate recognition infrastructure to log transit entry, exit, and route deviations in real time.
He also sent a written request to Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius, calling for an immediate evaluation of current transit controls and the creation of a unified government-level strategy regarding simplified transit between mainland Russia and the Kaliningrad region.
In additional appeals to Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys and Interior Minister Martynas Kaltenis, Anušauskas stressed the need for international action.
He stated, "The 2003 EU regulation allowing 24-hour transit was adopted under entirely different geopolitical conditions. Today, Russia is waging Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and carrying out hybrid operations against the European Union. Therefore, I urge the government and responsible ministers to initiate a review of this EU regulation."
His proposed three-tier plan includes strengthening direct transit controls at the national level, coordinating a joint position with Latvia, Estonia, Poland, and other partner states, and submitting a formal request to the European Commission to amend regulatory acts.
If approved by the Seimas, the amendments will take effect on January 1, 2027. The simplified transit mechanism to Kaliningrad operates under agreements between the European Union and Russia, and Lithuanian authorities held interagency functional exercises in February to assess control measures over the route.
On August 5, 2026, Lithuanian border guards detected an unfinished four-meter underground tunnel dug from Belarus beneath a border fence at a depth of 1.5 meters near Latežeris village in the Druskininkai municipality, bringing the total number of subterranean crossing attempts into Lithuania to 12 since the beginning of 2026.
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