Protest in Jēkabpils to demand ban on Russian grain transit through Latvia

A protest called "No to Blood Grain!" will take place in Jēkabpils, Latvia, on Saturday, 7 November, at 11:00. Participants demand a ban on transit through Latvia of grain produced in Russia and in occupied parts of Ukraine. The transit continues in the fifth year since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The organiser is Gundars Kalve, a farmer who has fought in Ukraine. The event follows an earlier protest held on 17 September this year. It is scheduled for a Saturday so that anyone, not just farmers, can attend.

The event is promoted by Juris Alberts Ulmanis, a National Guard member and professor, in an opinion piece published on 5 November in the magazine Ir. The text is the author's opinion, not a neutral report.

Figures on transit

The Ministry of Transport estimates that halting grain transit would cost Latvia's transport sector 290 million euros a year. The author also says the sector earns 800,000 euros a day from Russian grain, but that figure is his own claim. In the first nine months of this year, grain transit from Russia through Latvia was 2.3 times higher than in the same period of 2025.

Arguments

The author cites the prime minister's arguments. Sanctions do not cover Russian grain, it has been bought by Western companies, and obstructing transit could lead to litigation and fines in the millions. He argues that the transit helps Moscow raise money for weapons and that the grain may include grain taken from occupied Ukrainian territory. He gives no data to support this.

He also says that farmers have complained during harvest time about a lack of space in port terminals and grain elevators because transit cargo takes up the infrastructure. If Latvia does not adopt the ban itself, he urges politicians to push for one across the European Union.