As part of an EU-wide policy, Poland has begun enforcing the European Union’s ban on all Russian-registered passenger cars entering the country. This is the latest package of sanctions imposed against Russia as punishment for its war against Ukraine.
The decision to ban Russian cars from entering came into force from midnight on Sunday. Motor vehicles registered in the Russian Federation are no longer allowed to enter the 27-member bloc, according to the EU ruling.
A car registered in Russia has no right to enter Poland.
Polish Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski said this when announcing the ban on Saturday.
“This is another element of the sanctions imposed on Russia and its citizens in connection with the brutal war in Ukraine, due to the fact that the Russian state today constitutes a threat to international security.”
The neighbouring Baltic States, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, beat Poland by just a few days by banning cars with Russian number plates from entering their territories. This was a joint move in line with the recent interpretation of EU sanctions imposed against Kremlin.
On Tuesday, Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russia’s Security Council chaired by Putin, called the European Commission’s decision racist. He suggested that Moscow could retaliate by suspending diplomatic relations with the EU and recalling its diplomats from Brussels.
Poland has a land border with the Russian territory of Kaliningrad, separated from the rest of Russia. The Border Guard Service said that the ban would be the same regardless of which border the vehicles cross.
The Border Guard Service warned on its website that cars with Russian plates “will be returned to the non-EU country from which they came, regardless of whether it is Russia or another country.”
Such actions will be carried out even if the driver of the car is not a citizen of the Russian Federation.
