Page 86 - RusRPTJul22

Russian imports in April from Belarus, a Kremlin ally that was used to help stage the invasion, for the first time leapfrogged Germany, an economy more than 60 times bigger, according to a Bloomberg analysis of the latest data. Sales to Russia from trading partners that together accounted for nearly half its imports in 2021 were down about 40% in April from a year earlier, Bloomberg calculations show. Even those, like China, which haven’t joined the US and its allies in imposing sanctions, are cutting shipments of merchandise.
Lithuania suspends transit of some goods to Russia’s Kaliningrad.
Lithuania has told the Russian region of Kaliningrad that it will block the import and export of a large number of goods by rail because of Western sanctions, governor Anton Alikhanov said on June 17. Among the goods that would be affected are building materials, cement and metal products, he said. Kaliningrad is sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania along the Baltic Coast.
Germany increased imports from Russia by 60% in the first four months of 2022. According to Andriy Melnyk, Ukraine’s ambassador to Germany, Russia’s imports to Germany reached €6bn. Ukraine’s bilateral trade with Germany during this period fell by 11% amid the war. “This is madness,” said Melnyk.
86 RUSSIA Country Report October 2020 www.intellinews.com