The European Union has stopped the passage of vehicles registered in Russia and Belarus.
Transit through the Kaliningrad region is still maintained, but only for vehicles registered in the Russian Federation, the press service of the Federal Customs Service (FMS) of Russia said.
“Russia’s FMS informs that as of April 8, 2022, the customs services of the European Union countries bordering the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus, citing the fifth package of sanctions, have stopped the admission of vehicles registered in these countries to the EU. “, Explained the press service.
The new sanctions affect a ban on road transport in the EU, including transit. From now on, vehicles for international transport with Russian and Belarusian registration numbers will not be able to move goods through the territory of the EU countries.
These restrictions do not yet apply to road haulage delivering pharmaceutical, medical, food, and agricultural products, including wheat, energy, non-ferrous metals, and fertilizers.
Road communication for humanitarian purposes also remains open, the press service said.
France keeps 2 paintings from a famous Russian collection
Two paintings from a famous Russian private collection have been seized by French authorities over the war in Ukraine. The works, owned by a Russian oligarch and a Ukrainian museum, have taken part in a temporary exhibition in Paris.
The war in Ukraine thwarted the return of two paintings from the Morozov brothers’ collection. The canvases will remain in France until a new decision is made, the French Ministry of Culture told AFP.
The works have been in Paris since last September as part of a major exhibition by the Louis Vuitton Foundation, which showcased 200 masterpieces of French painting purchased by a family of Russian collectors in the early 20th century.
One painting is owned by a Russian oligarch who has come under sanctions against Russia and whose assets in France have been frozen, BNR reports. Authorities did not name the owner.
The other work, a portrait of patron Margarita Morozova, belongs to the Dnepropetrovsk Museum of Fine Arts in Ukraine and remains in France at the request of Ukrainian authorities until the situation allows it to return safely.
The rest of the exhibits from the just-concluded exhibition, including works by Gauguin, Monet, Mathis, and Renoir, will be returned to the Russian museums from which they came.
