Officials in Estonia and Lithuania have issued warnings stating that passenger vehicles with Russian license plates may be confiscated as a result of a ban on entry throughout the Baltic region.
This week, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia implemented back-to-back entry bans for cars registered in Russia after the European Commission clarified that current regulations forbid the import or transfer of goods from Russia.
“We will have to confiscate these cars [with Russian license plates]; it has come to that,” said Estonia’s Interior Minister Lauri Laanemets on Thursday, according to the Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti.
He raised the question, “Why do cars with Russian license plates drive in Estonia? If these cars are frequently in use here, perhaps they should be registered in Estonia?”
Laanemets emphasized that his comments on the issue of Russian-registered cars in Estonia reflected his personal opinion, which he intends to bring up during a cabinet session on Thursday.
Lithuania’s customs chief, Darius Zvironas, issued a similar warning, stating on Wednesday during an interview with local radio station LRT that drivers who fail to comply with instructions “may face charges and have their vehicles confiscated.”
Meanwhile, supporters of imprisoned Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny are urging Baltic leaders to lift the vehicle ban, claiming that it negatively impacts Russian war exiles and supports the Kremlin’s narrative of anti-Russian sentiment in the West.
Moscow has accused the EU of “racism” for its ban on passenger vehicles, while former President Dmitry Medvedev has called for a suspension of diplomatic relations.
