Hundreds protest in Jēkabpils against Russian grain transit as government promises a bill

A protest under the slogan “Asins graudiem – NĒ!” (“No to blood grain!”) was held in the town of Jēkabpils on Saturday 7 November, with participants demanding a halt to the transit through Latvia of grain produced in Russia and in occupied parts of Ukraine. The protest began at 11:00 and was initiated by farmer and civic activist Gundars Kalve. Hundreds of people attended, and several dozen lorries and tractors were parked nearby.

What the prime minister said

Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs of the United List (Apvienotais saraksts) also took to the stage. He said a bill would be submitted to the Saeima, Latvia’s parliament, that would make it possible to stop the transit of Russian grain by barring new contracts, with coordination between ministries planned for the following week. “The transit must be stopped — we must not feed Russia’s war machine and give money for the destruction of Ukrainians,” Kulbergs said, according to the news site Jauns.lv.

At the same time, the prime minister acknowledged that no quick solution had been found. In his view, a ban at Latvian level alone is not the answer: restricting transit is a matter for the European Union, and a unilateral ban could lead to lawsuits and costs. The first results of samples taken from grain cargoes are also expected the following week and will show whether stolen grain is being moved in transit — such grain may not be transported. The crowd responded to the prime minister’s caveats with loud criticism.

In numbers

• According to the State Revenue Service, grain transit from Russia through Latvia has more than tripled this year.
• The Ministry of Transport estimates that a transit ban would significantly affect the transport sector and the state budget.
• Samples from 23 grain cargoes of Russian and Belarusian origin have been sent for laboratory testing.

Why it matters to farmers

For Latvian farmers the issue is not only moral but also practical: some complain that the ports are busy during the season and that exporting their own grain is harder than in previous years. The organisers are demanding that the government and the Saeima immediately block transit cargoes, while the government points to EU rules and possible consequences for the budget. The coming bill will show which path is chosen.