MOSCOW: Russian transportation authorities blocked the movement of Ukraine-registered trucks on Monday and detained over 300 cargo vehicles in retaliation to Ukraine closing its borders to Russia-registered long-haulers.

The transport ministry's announcement came after Ukraine's prime minister announced on Monday that cargo trucks registered in Russia will temporarily not be allowed to enter Ukraine.

Over the weekend, activists in Ukraine began blocking Russia-registered trucks and the situation quickly escalated, leading to the current bans.

Russian authorities say they have detained 324 Ukraine-registered trucks as of Tuesday.

Russia's transit agreement with Poland— another key mainland route to Europe — lapsed at the beginning of February and the two countries have not yet reached a renewal agreement.

Relations between Moscow and Kiev have deteriorated over the annexation of Crimea and war in parts of eastern Ukraine. The tit-for-tat ban on truck transit follows a series of sanctions and food import bans between the two countries.