In the event of a Russian military aggression against NATO countries, Kaliningrad will be the first region to find itself in an extremely difficult situation. This was stated by former Latvian Defense Minister Artis Pabriks in an interview with Censor.NET.
According to him, the political leadership in Moscow is well aware of the public mood in Western Europe, where people do not want a military conflict. However, Pabriks believes that the armies and institutions in NATO countries understand Russia's intentions.
“Putin and others there understand very well the mood in Western Europe, but the armies and institutions in these countries more or less correctly understand what Russia wants,“ said Pabriks.According to him, the problem is that Western countries have reacted too softly to Russian operations on their territory. He also questioned the analyses that mainly consider the possibility of Russia blocking the Suwalki Corridor – the land connection between Poland and Lithuania.
Focus on the Suwalki Corridor
Pabriks said that in the event of a war, NATO would first focus its actions on Kaliningrad, also known by the historical name of Königsberg.
„If Russia attacks, the first thing we have to do is eliminate Königsberg. And there will be no more Suwalki Corridor“, said the former minister.He added that the Russian enclave between Poland and Lithuania could not exist independently in a direct conflict with NATO. In his speech, Pabriks also linked this assessment to warnings that he said Russian President Vladimir Putin had been issuing to the West.
Moscow warns of possible nuclear response
The comment comes amid tensions over Kaliningrad. On September 30, Reuters reported a written warning from Moscow to NATO that Russia was ready to use nuclear weapons if the Alliance tried to isolate the region from the rest of the country.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said he did not take such warnings too seriously, and the Alliance stressed that it did not pose a threat to Russia.
Russian presidential aide Nikolai Patrushev warned that any attempt to isolate Kaliningrad would result in Moscow's response being swift. Vladimir Putin later said that in a direct attack on Russian territory, the entire Russian weapons arsenal could be used.
Sources: focus-news.net, censor.net, nato.int