Will this 700-year-old Russian city, a new ally of NATO, bring an even more explosive situation than Ukraine?


Moscow, June 27, 2022, Monday

Russia's urban area in the Baltic Sea, called Kaliningrad, has been the cause of Russia's non-alignment with another neighbor after Ukraine. Kaliningrad, a lonely city on the sea, 1,200 km from Moscow, is currently under discussion. The most strategically important area is Poland on one side and Lithuania on the other. Both Poland and Lithuania are affiliated with the US-led military bloc NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). Kaliningrad in the Baltic Sea is a sandwich between the two countries.


Lithuania has a population of only 3 million. It seceded from the Soviet Union in 191 and joined Russia's anti-NATO military organization in 2006. The US-led NATO countries have imposed various sanctions on Russia over Russia's military action in Ukraine. Lithuania, being a NATO country, has cut off a railway supply line connecting the Russian city of Kaliningrad. The geographical situation is such that the only option for the supply of the city of Kaliningrad, with a population of 2.50 lakh, is from the Lithuanian railway.


Russia has been outraged by Lithuania's stance and has implicitly threatened to take action. The United States, which leads NATO nations, has said Lithuania has the right to do so. Under such circumstances, the Russian-occupied Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea has become the center of controversy. Ukraine is not a NATO country, but since Lithuania is in NATO, Russia's potential action is considered an attack on the United States.


A new fort was built by the Tetonic Knights during the Crusades in 18 AD. King Frederick was crowned here in 1901. The site then came under German control. Until World War II, Kaliningrad, known as Koenigsbug, remained under German occupation.

The population of German descent migrated from here after the Soviet Red Army defeated Germany. The division of the region between Poland and the Soviet Union was agreed at the Yalta Convention. Stalin did not hesitate to annex the city of Koenigsberg and its environs to Russia at the time.


Stalin named Kalinin Grad in honor of Mikhail Kalinin, chairman of the Poseidon of the Supreme Soviet and head of state of the Soviet Union. Kaliningrad was populated by Germans, Poles, Lithuanians, and Jews.

Stalin launched a special campaign to increase the Russian population, especially the Germans. German culture and its monuments were obliterated in Kaliningrad. A river called Prigolya flows in Kaliningrad. The 16th-century Juditan Church is still preserved. The historic Fisherman's Village and Ocean Museum also attract attention.


After the fall of communism in 191, Kaliningrad was liberated from the Soviet Union's Nagchund, but the city continues to benefit from the special economic package provided by the Russian government. Russia has built a large military base in Kaliningrad. Russia also keeps its nuclear weapons here.

Russian troops have also studied nuclear war during the Ukraine war. Although Kaliningrad is 1,200 km from Moscow, Russia is monitoring the movements of European and NATO countries in the Baltic Sea because the site is so close to European countries. If there is a future war with NATO countries, Kaliningrad is a place where Russia can get the expected results.

Russia has stepped up military activity in Kaliningrad since the Ukraine war. The Russian Navy's large base is a major blow to NATO nations. At the same time, the 200-year-old historic city is emerging as a new address in the dispute between Russia and NATO.


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