Russia Temporarily Blocks Kazakhstan's Grain Transit, Threatening Flax Exports to Europe

One of Kazakhstan’s key export corridors has been temporarily shut down: Russian Railways has restricted the transit of grain to St. Petersburg, creating risks for flaxseed shipments to Europe, Orda.kz reports.

Russian Railways announced a temporary ban on the transit of Kazakh grain to the St. Petersburg port from December 7 to 16, 2025, according to RZD-Partner.ru.

The restriction affects cargo headed to the Novy Port station on the October Railway — a crucial route for Kazakhstan’s agricultural exports to Europe. This hub handles the bulk of shipments to Belgium, one of the largest buyers of Kazakhstan's flaxseed.

Yevgeny Karabanov of the Grain Union of Kazakhstan noted that up to 60% of all flax exports to Belgium pass through Novy Port.

The data reflects this reliance: last season (September–August), Kazakhstan exported 188.4 thousand tons of flax to Belgium. In the first two months of the current season alone, the figure reached 45.2 thousand tons — nearly triple the previous year’s pace.

Meanwhile, KTZ previously reported that Kazakhstan’s transit volumes through Russia reached 2.2 million tons in January–November 2025, a 3.2-fold increase compared to the same period in 2024.

Shipments through Baltic ports nearly doubled to 161 thousand tons.

In the first ten months of this year, Kazakhstan exported 834 thousand tons of flaxseed, up 8% from last year. The main destinations remain China (579,000 tons) and Belgium (95,000 tons).

The temporary halt in transit leaves exporters in a tight position: delays on this route could disrupt delivery schedules and result in significant financial losses.

Original Author: Alina Pak