Latvia will verify the origin of Russian grain during its transit through the Baltic states
Ukraine, Latvia, and the United Kingdom plan to announce next week the signing of a memorandum regarding the verification of the origin of Russian grain that may be transiting through Baltic ports.
“Together with Latvia and the United Kingdom, we plan to announce the signing of a memorandum next week to launch such targeted screening of all grain of Russian origin in the event of attempts to transit it through Baltic ports,” he said.
According to the minister, inspections of Russian grain transiting through Lithuania have been in place since 2024 and have not been suspended. The inspections are intended to determine whether grain declared as Russian is in fact grain stolen from Ukraine’s occupied territories.
In January 2025, Ukraine, Lithuania, and the United Kingdom signed a memorandum to launch the Grain Verification Scheme (GVS) to combat the illegal export of Ukrainian grain from the occupied territories. The grain origin verification system is already in use at the Lithuanian port of Klaipėda. Under the enhanced control procedure introduced in 2024, feed grain from Russia, Belarus, and other high-risk countries is subject to geographic origin testing. In early September 2026, the Lithuanian service collected the first samples of grain whose intended use—for food or feed—was not clearly specified in customs declarations, in order to verify its country of origin.
As reported, on September 17, the Latvian Parliament approved amendments to the law on rail transport, which allow for the expedited review of tariffs on grain transit from Russia, particularly shipments delivered to Latvian ports for further export. The special procedure will remain in effect until the end of 2026, and the government has called on LatRailNet to assess the possibility of increasing transit fees for Russian grain to 300% of the current level.
This was announced Friday at a briefing by Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Taras Vysotsky, according to Interfax-Ukraine.
The shutdown of ports has caused grain prices to plummet and derailed Russia’s plans, according to intelligence reports.
Russian strikes on Ukrainian ports and problems with maritime exports could jeopardize not only this year’s grain shipments but also the 2027 planting season. Due to difficulties in selling their harvest, farmers risk being left without sufficient funds for seeds, fertilizers, fuel, and other necessary resources.
Ukrainian attacks using maritime and aerial drones on Black Sea ports in Russia, the aggressor state, have significantly disrupted grain and oil shipments. Novorossiysk—Russia’s largest port by cargo turnover, through which up to one-third of Russia’s grain exports pass—has been hit the hardest.
