The anger in the Kremlin is great: On Saturday, Lithuania announced that it would restrict the rail transit of goods between the Russian Baltic Sea exclave of Kaliningrad. The reaction from Moscow followed promptly: the restrictions were illegal, it said.
“This decision is truly unprecedented and is a violation of everything,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to the Interfax agency. The blockade affects around 40 to 50 percent of all goods in transit. Peskow spoke of “elements of a blockade.”
But why is Kaliningrad so important for Putin and Moscow? In an interview with ” t-online “, the military expert William Alberque from London’s International Institute of Strategic Studies answered this question.
Kaliningrad has “always been a big bastion of Russian troops,” Alberque said. The Baltic Sea exclave is an important naval base, it is the home port of the Russian Baltic Fleet. In addition, Iskander missiles are stationed in the city. These can also be equipped with nuclear warheads – and can also reach Berlin.
However, Kaliningrad will become particularly important if the conflict escalates further – for example, if Russia attacks the Baltic States after Ukraine. Because: The city is located on the so-called Suwalki gap between Poland and Lithuania, which is considered a weak point of NATO.
Alberque explains to “t-online”: “Russia could use Kaliningrad for what we call ‘a to ad’: a no-fly zone for air defense that makes the area inaccessible to the enemy.” Baltic States, prevent NATO airmen from coming to the aid of the allies.
“You could then just go on and conquer the Baltic States step by step,” says Alberque in the “t-online” interview. “That has always been the great fear emanating from the Suwalki Gap and Kaliningrad.”
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