As the Moscow-Kaliningrad train approached Lithuania, the car attendant beckoned to passengers in Russian: “I’m closing the entire carriage, the toilets are out of action.”

The 19-hour, 1,000-kilometre (650-mile) journey is the only land route between mainland Russia and its coastal exclave of Kaliningrad, wedged on the Baltic Sea between EU and NATO members Poland and Lithuania.

In echoes of the Cold War, passengers on the “Yantar”, the Russian word for amber, are locked inside for the three hours it spends traversing Lithuania.

The Baltic state has been one of Europe’s most pro-Kyiv voices, pushing for a hard line against Russia since it ordered troops into Ukraine in February 2022. Moscow sees it as a hostile state.

Doors and windows are sealed — to prevent Russians jumping off and

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