Latvia bars entry for vehicles with Russian plates, threatening confiscation

Latvia has banned cars with Russian license plates from entering the European Union through its border checkpoints, and failure to comply may lead to confiscation of such vehicles, the State Revenue Service (SRS) told the LETA news agency.

"In accordance with the European Commission's explanations and the position of the Latvian Foreign Ministry, from 6 pm today, drivers of vehicles with Russian license plates are not allowed to enter the EU through Latvian-Russian and Latvian-Belarusian border checkpoints," the SRS said, Interfax reports.

Such vehicles will be turned away, and a refusal to comply with an order of the customs authorities may entail a decision to confiscate the vehicle in accordance with customs laws, it said.

At the same time, the ban will not apply to cars with Russian license plates returning from the EU to Russia, provided such vehicles are not declared goods and are used only as a means of transport, it said.

The SRS strongly recommends refraining from repeated attempts to enter the EU through various border crossing points. Under Latvian law, failure to comply with sanctions is a criminal offence.

Earlier on Tuesday, Lithuania was reported to have taken similar steps. Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite said that Russian vehicles entering the country would be confiscated by customs authorities in accordance with the latest EC interpretation of applying anti-Russian sanctions.

"Yes, vehicles registered in Russia should be seized if they cross into Lithuania, and this kind of control will be exercised by the customs, as this is their function, this is the work and responsibility of the customs," Bilotaite told reporters on Tuesday.

Russian trucks are already banned from the EU. The ban does not apply to Russian providers of road freight services transiting the European Union between the Kaliningrad region and Russia.

Vehicles crossing Lithuania en route to and from the Kaliningrad region are exempt from EU restrictions, the region's governor Anton Alikhanov has said.