Lithuania–Russia border

Lithuania–Russia border
Queen Louise Bridge over the border river Neman at Sovetsk
Characteristics
Entities Lithuania Russia
Length 227km
History
Established After World War I

Lithuanian and Russian boundary markers

The Lithuania–Russia border is an international border between the Kaliningrad Oblast, an exclave of the Russian Federation (CIS member) and Republic of Lithuania (EU member). The 227 kilometres (141 mi) long border passes (from west to south-east clockwise) through the Curonian Spit and Curonian Lagoon, and then follows along the Neman River, Šešupė, Širvinta, Liepona, and Lake Vištytis. There is a tripoint between Lithuania, Russia, and Poland with a stone monument at 54°21′48″N 22°47′31″E / 54.36333°N 22.79194°E / 54.36333; 22.79194. Most of the border follows rivers or lakes. On land, border stations are equipped with engineering and technical facilities (wired fences and the exclusion zone). Most other land areas have no fence, but some places near roads or villages have fences (e.g. at 54°27′11″N 22°42′08″E / 54.45306°N 22.70222°E / 54.45306; 22.70222 with Street View coverage). Crossing the border into Lithuania requires a Schengen visa, and into Russia requires a Russian visa. In early 2017, with increasing military activity and political tensions in the area, the government announced plans to reinforce the Kaliningrad/Ramoniškiai area border crossing with a six-foot-high fence, funded by NATO, characterized by some officials as a token effort and waste of money.[1][2]

History

Historical borders between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Tsardom of Russia varied significantly throughout history, and at times bore little resemblance to the modern borders.

The modern Lithuanian-Russian border was established after World War I. For the most part it follows the border of former German province of East Prussia. In 1923, the Klaipėda Region (Memelland) was transferred to Lithuania, and in 1939, Lithuania was forced to return it to Germany. Until 1991, this boundary was an internal border of the Soviet Union between the RSFSR and the Lithuanian SSR. In 1997, the Russian Federation and the Republic of Lithuania signed a border agreement, which eliminated absurdities of the border. For example, Lake Vištytis was divided between the states as before almost the entire area of the reservoir was part of the Russian Federation. Therefore, fishers and swimmers on the Lithuanian side inadvertently crossed the international border. In return, Russia received the appropriate territorial compensation in other areas. The treaty entered into force in 2003.

Border crossings

Image Russian Road/Track Name[3] Lithuanian Road/Track Name [3] Type of crossing [3] Characteristics[4] Status [4] Coordinates [3]
R515 167 Road Active 55°05′27″N 21°53′12″E / 55.090763°N 21.886789°E / 55.090763; 21.886789
- - Railway Active 55°05′27″N 21°53′12″E / 55.090763°N 21.886789°E / 55.090763; 21.886789
E77 (A216) E77 (A12) Road Active 55°05′01″N 21°54′21″E / 55.083649°N 21.905818°E / 55.083649; 21.905818
27K-105 184 Road Active 55°03′35″N 22°35′30″E / 55.059609°N 22.591793°E / 55.059609; 22.591793
P509 Vytauto g. Road Closed 54°46′34″N 22°51′18″E / 54.775988°N 22.855040°E / 54.775988; 22.855040
E28 E28 Road Active 54°38′30″N 22°44′38″E / 54.641721°N 22.743941°E / 54.641721; 22.743941
Kaliningrad Railway Kaliningradskaja schelesnaja doroga Railway Active 54°38′24″N 22°44′49″E / 54.640051°N 22.747080°E / 54.640051; 22.747080
27K-210 200 Road Closed 54°27′13″N 22°42′11″E / 54.453573°N 22.703110°E / 54.453573; 22.703110

Economy

At the Russian-Lithuanian border smuggling takes place and semi-legal "shuttle" trade cheaper Russian and Belarusian products, which are exported to Lithuania for resale.[5] Especially popular are cigarettes.

References

  1. ↑ Woody, Christopher. "Lithuania is building a border fence amid Russia fears — even though it would do little to stop an invasion". Business Insider. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  2. ↑ Boffey, Daniel (24 August 2017). "'We know how to live next to Russia': Lithuania builds border fence with Kaliningrad". the Guardian. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 See Google Maps for respectively coordinate and OpenStreetMap.
  4. 1 2 See Google Street View for respectively coordinate.
  5. ↑ "Пограничник Геннадиюс Кузнецовас: литовцы готовы умереть, чтобы заработать на российских сигаретах". NEWSru.com (in Russian). NEWSru.
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