Lithuania–Russia border

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Lithuania–Russia border
Koenigin Luise bruecke Tilsit 2008.jpg
Queen Louise Bridge over the border river Neman at Sovetsk
Characteristics
Entities Lithuania  Russia
Length297.1 km (184.6 mi), including the 22.2 km (13.8 mi) sea border[1]
History
Established1945
Current shape24 October 1997
TreatiesTreaty between the Republic of Lithuania and the Russian Federation concerning the State Border between Lithuania and Russia (1997)[2]
Lithuania-Russia border in the Curonian Spit.
Lithuanian and Russian boundary markers

The Lithuania–Russia border is an international border between the Republic of Lithuania (EU member) and Kaliningrad Oblast, an exclave of the Russian Federation (CIS member). It is an external border of the European Union. The 274.9 km (170.8 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.[1] The sea border is another 22.2 km (13.8 mi). There is a tripoint between Lithuania, Russia, and Poland with a stone monument at

 WikiMiniAtlas
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

 WikiMiniAtlas
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 region, the Lithuanian government announced plans to reinforce the Kaliningrad/Ramoniškiai area border crossing with a fence 2 m (6 ft 7 in) in height, funded by NATO.[3][4]

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 II. For the most part it follows the older border between former German province of East Prussia to the south with Russia to the north. In 1923, the Klaipėda Region (Memelland) was transferred to Lithuania, and in 1939, Lithuania was forced to return it to Germany. In 1945, following the Soviet occupation of the Baltic states, the boundary was an internal border of the Soviet Union between the Kaliningrad Oblast of RSFSR and the Lithuanian SSR. In 1990, Lithuania restored its independence and the boundary became an international border again, making Kaliningrad Oblast an exclave. In 1997, the Russian Federation and the Republic of Lithuania signed a border agreement, intended to complete border demarcation and to reduce inconveniences of the border.[2] For example, at Lake Vištytis the border ran along the waterline of the beaches on the Lithuanian side, so anyone paddling in the water was technically crossing into Russia. 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[5] Lithuanian Road/Track Name [5] Type of crossing [5] Characteristics[6] Status [6] Coordinates [5]
RIAN archive 1052485 Work of border guards on Russian-Lithuanian border in Ribachy village, Kaliningrad region.jpg R515 167 (Nida) Road Active 55°16′47″N 20°57′50″E / 55.279788°N 20.963893°E / 55.279788; 20.963893
- (Pagėgiai) Railway Active 55°05′27″N 21°53′12″E / 55.090763°N 21.886789°E / 55.090763; 21.886789
Мост королевы Луизы в г.Советске.JPG A216/E77 A12/E77 (Panemunė) Road Active 55°05′01″N 21°54′21″E / 55.083649°N 21.905818°E / 55.083649; 21.905818
27K-105 184 (Ramoniškiai) Road Active (only for Russian and Lithuanian nationals) 55°03′35″N 22°35′30″E / 55.059609°N 22.591793°E / 55.059609; 22.591793
P509 Vytauto g. (Kudirkos Naumiestis) Road Closed 54°46′34″N 22°51′18″E / 54.775988°N 22.855040°E / 54.775988; 22.855040
E28 A7/E28 (Kybartai) Road Active 54°38′30″N 22°44′38″E / 54.641721°N 22.743941°E / 54.641721; 22.743941
Kaliningrad Railway (Kybartai) Railway Active 54°38′24″N 22°44′49″E / 54.640051°N 22.747080°E / 54.640051; 22.747080
27K-210 200 (Vištytis) Road Closed 54°27′13″N 22°42′11″E / 54.453573°N 22.703110°E / 54.453573; 22.703110

Economy[]

At the Lithuania–Russia border smuggling takes place and semi-legal "shuttle" trade cheaper Russian and Belarusian products, which are exported to Lithuania for resale.[7] Especially popular are cigarettes.

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Valstybinės sienos demarkavimas" (in Lithuanian). National Land Service under the Ministry of Agriculture. 28 February 2013. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Lietuvos Respublikos ir Rusijos Federacijos sutartis dėl Lietuvos ir Rusijos valstybės sienos" [Treaty between the Republic of Lithuania and the Russian Federation concerning the State Border between Lithuania and Russia]. Office of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania (in Lithuanian). 24 October 1997.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ a b c d See Google Maps for respectively coordinate and OpenStreetMap.
  6. ^ a b See Google Street View for respectively coordinate.
  7. ^ "Пограничник Геннадиюс Кузнецовас: литовцы готовы умереть, чтобы заработать на российских сигаретах". NEWSru.com (in Russian). NEWSru.

External links[]

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