According to Reuters on September 30, Russia said in a letter sent to NATO that “Russia will be ready to use the entire arsenal of forces and capabilities at its disposal, including nuclear weapons, in order to defend its territory should NATO countries undertake any attempt aimed at isolating the Kaliningrad Region from the rest of the country.”
In the letter, classified as an “unofficial document,” Russia emphasized that NATO is taking a “dangerous and reckless course” accompanied by a “high risk of the direct armed conflict.”
In addition to the warning sent to NATO, Russian embassies in three European countries issued statements over the past three days criticizing NATO for heightening tensions with military exercises and scenarios involving Kaliningrad.
In response, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said, “There is no imminent threat to NATO territory,” and “He (Putin) wants to divide us. He wants us to lose attention when it comes to Ukraine.”
Kaliningrad is a Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea, bordering the NATO member states of Poland and Lithuania. Russia has deployed Iskander missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads there.
European security authorities view the approximately 100 km land route known as the Suwałki Corridor, which runs from Kaliningrad to Russia’s ally Belarus, as NATO’s Achilles’ heel. If Russia were to occupy this corridor, which forms the border between Poland and Lithuania, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia would be cut off and isolated from other NATO member states.
Poland has criticized the “Zapad” joint military exercises conducted by Russia and Belarus every four years as being designed with the occupation of the Suwałki Corridor in mind. Lithuania has permanently stationed the German Army’s 45th Armored Brigade to defend the corridor.
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski argued on September 11 that NATO should pressure Russia with “aggressive” military exercises near Kaliningrad. In August, NATO deployed a large number of E-3A Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft and US and Norwegian fighter jets near Kaliningrad to train in air strikes, refueling, reconnaissance, and electronic warfare.
Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said at a press conference that day, “We repeatedly hear absurd remarks mentioning Kaliningrad from Poland and other European countries,” and “It is natural for our diplomats to remind radical elements in Europe of Russia’s policy documents on this matter.”
