Vehicles trying to enter Russia's Kaliningrad region via Poland are facing queues of up to 19 hours at the border. Polish customs officials have tightened vehicle inspections, significantly increasing waiting times.
According to a statement from the Kaliningrad Customs Press Service, the waiting time to enter the region at the Mamomevo crossing on the Polish side reached 18-19 hours. The statement noted that the situation in Bagrationovsk was less severe, and a similar improvement was observed at Chernyshevskoye on the Lithuanian border. The press service added that vehicles carrying many items undergo in-depth inspections, which can take hours.
Another reason for the congestion was cited as the start of summer holidays in some German states. A press service official said that the majority of those arriving via Poland are Russian-speaking Germans, and that people wanting to visit relatives in Germany are flocking to the border.
Russian authorities announced that customs operations are continuing as normal. Kaliningrad customs officers are working their regular shifts, all lanes at the Mamomevo-2 and Chernyshevskoye checkpoints are open, and processing is proceeding without delays.
Officials advised travelers to fill out their documents in advance to reduce time spent at the border. Information boards at customs points show examples of how to fill out passenger customs declarations; the documents can also be accessed on the Federal Customs Service's website.
Authorities reminded that vehicle traffic in both directions increases during the summer, and that additional shifts have been introduced on the Russian side, with separate lanes allocated for tourist groups arriving by bus.
