Are the ‘new’ Russian sanctions disrupting China-Europe rail freight?

China-Europe rail freight traffic still heavily relies on the route via Russia. However, sanctions from the EU and especially new counter-sanctions imposed by the Kremlin keep creating a few obstacles. Operators in Italy recently complained that some containers travelling on the China-Europe rail route have been stopped in recent weeks in Russia, awaiting inspections to ensure that they do not contain cargo belonging to the list of goods under embargo in the country.