Anušauskas proposes six-hour limit on Russian transit through Lithuania

LRT reports that Lithuanian lawmaker Arvydas Anušauskas has proposed limiting Russian citizens’ transit through Lithuania to six hours and using automatic number plate recognition systems to monitor compliance.

Anušauskas said the proposal would not conflict with European Union law or unilaterally change the 24-hour maximum transit period established by a 2003 Council regulation. The amendments would allow longer journeys in cases such as vehicle breakdowns, traffic accidents, border queues and extreme weather, but never beyond the EU limit.

He proposed using Lithuania’s existing automated vehicle number plate recognition infrastructure to record the start and end of transit in real time and identify route deviations.

Anušauskas also urged Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius, Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys and Interior Minister Martynas Katelynas to assess the effectiveness of current transit controls and prepare a coordinated government position. The simplified transit regime applies to Russian citizens travelling between Russian territory and the Kaliningrad region.

He called for Lithuania to work with Latvia, Estonia, Poland and other regional countries to seek a review of the EU regulation and propose a six-hour maximum transit period across the bloc.

The proposed three-level plan includes tightening direct transit controls nationally, coordinating a joint position with regional countries and formally asking the European Commission to change the legal framework. If approved by parliament, the amendments would take effect on January 1, 2027.

According to data from Lithuania’s State Border Guard Service, almost 13,000 passenger cars with Russian registration plates travelled through Lithuania using simplified transit documents in 2025. The number of recorded abuses of the regime rose from 360 in 2024 to 1,493 in 2025.