Lithuania–Russia border

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 54°21′48″N 22°47′31″E.

Lithuania–Russia border
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

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 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]

On 13 September 2023, Lithuania banned vehicles with Russian license plates from entering their territory, in accordance with a decision by the European Union.

History

The historical borders between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Grand Duchy of Moscow varied significantly throughout the history and bore little resemblance to the modern borders. The first treaty between these states was signed on 31 August 1449.[5] It was a medieval agreement between the monarchs which listed the territorial possessions, rights to particular towns and similar aspects, but did not define the border.[6] The next peace treaty during the Muscovite–Lithuanian Wars was signed in 1494 and it contained more detailed description of the border, with even more detailed definition in the truce agreement of 1503.[6] Therefore, the well defined state border between Lithuania and Muscovy emerged in the early 16th century.[6] These medieval borders did not reflect the ethnic or religious differences between the local populations, but they were a part of the political process of state-building and, later in the 16th century, began to mark the difference between political cultures of the two neighbouring states.[6]

The modern border between the countries runs along the line of the former Lithuanian–German border established in 1918. It bordered Lithuania and East Prussia. In 1923, the Klaipėda Region (Memelland) was transferred to Lithuania, but in 1939 Lithuania was forced to return it to Germany. The current Lithuanian–Russian border was established after World War II, when Königsberg and the territory around it was annexed by the Soviet Union. 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 Lithuanian name/road[7] Russian name/road[7] Type[7] Status[8] Coordinates[7]
Route 167 – Nida 27A-015 – Morskoe Road Active 55.279788°N 20.963893°E / 55.279788; 20.963893
Pagėgiai Sovetsk Railway Active 55.090763°N 21.886789°E / 55.090763; 21.886789
A 12 / E77 – Panemunė A 216 / E77 – Sovetsk Road Active 55.083649°N 21.905818°E / 55.083649; 21.905818
Route 184 – Ramoniškiai 27K-105 – Pogranichnyy Road Active 55.059609°N 22.591793°E / 55.059609; 22.591793
A 7 / E28 – Kybartai A 229 / E28 – Chernyshevskoye Road and railway Active 54.641721°N 22.743941°E / 54.641721; 22.743941
Vytauto g. – Kudirkos Naumiestis R509 – Kutuzovo Road Closed 54.775988°N 22.855040°E / 54.775988; 22.855040
Route 200 (Dariaus ir Girėno g.) – Vištytis 27K-210 – Malaya Belozernoye Road Closed 54.453573°N 22.703110°E / 54.453573; 22.703110

References
  1. "Valstybinės sienos demarkavimas" (in Lithuanian). National Land Service under the Ministry of Agriculture. 28 February 2013. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  2. "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. Sirutavičius, Marius (2017). Kiaupienė, Jūratė (ed.). Lietuvos Didžiosios Kunigaikštystės ir Maskvos valstybės sutartys 1449–1556 metai: šaltinių publikacija [Treaties between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Moscow state 1449–1556: publication of sources] (in Lithuanian). ISBN 9789955346487.
  6. Krom, Mikhail (2012). Changing allegiances in the age of state building: the border between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Grand Principality of Moscow (PDF). ISBN 9783643902573.
  7. See Google Maps for respectively coordinate and OpenStreetMap.
  8. See Google Street View for respectively coordinate.
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