He hailed yesterday's European Commission guidelines telling Lithuania that EU sanctions don't apply to Russian imports delivered by rail a "victory of our diplomacy". He further said that despite the road ban on goods brought by Russia-registered trucks is still in place, over 80% of prior restrictions on transit have now been lifted with the European Commission decision.

"That is the victory of our diplomacy as a significant amount of the restrictions on the transit to Kaliningrad, accounting for over 80%, was lifted," Alikhanov told Russian state media sources.

"The European Commission's guidelines have lifted significant amount of transit restrictions to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, accounting for over 80%," he said.

Additionally, the 'sea bridge' across the Baltic Sea that Russia established following Lithuania's effective 'blockade' of the Russian exclave, which means extra ships began ferrying goods by sea which would have normally been carried by rail over the past many weeks, will stay in place for now - according to the governor.

The European Commission issued its legal guidance on the standoff Wednesday on the crisis which had over the past month resulted in some one million Russian citizens in the exclave remaining cut off from products brought by rail and road. "The transit of sanctioned goods by road with Russian operators is not allowed under the EU measures. No such similar prohibition exists for rail transport," the European Union executive said, specifying that Russian goods should continue to be allowed by train.