Estonian govt prohibits Operail state-run railway company from transporting Russian, Belarusian cargo

TALLINN. Dec 13 (Interfax) - The Estonian government has prohibited the Operail state-run railway company from transporting Russian and Belarusian cargo.

A document signed by Estonian Economy and Infrastructure Minister Riina Sikkut tasks the enterprise with "evaluating the ethics of commercial relationships with Russia and Belarus and severing any business ties (in a phased manner if necessary) while replacing them with new business contacts," the ERR portal said on Tuesday.

Operail has been ordered "to stop transporting cargo with origins in the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus on January 1, 2023."

At the same time, the Finnish broadcaster Yle said that Operail was preparing to transport unsanctioned Russian nickel in Finland.

According to Yle, the financial position of Operail has seriously worsened in the recent period and the company posted 3.5-million-euro losses in the first nine months of this year.