Moscow has drawn a hard red line on the security of its western exclave. Speaking at the plenary session of the Valdai Club, the Russian president confirmed that in the event of a direct attack on Kaliningrad, Moscow would consider using “all types of weapons at its disposal.”
Context and reasons. The statement came amid unprecedented NATO military activity in the Baltic region. Putin stressed that the warnings sent to a number of countries and the tough rhetoric from the Foreign Ministry are not an attempt to intimidate anyone, but a response to attempts to intimidate us. The trigger was the alliance’s large-scale drills, statements by Western politicians about isolating the region, and attempts to detain Russian vessels.
The gist of the warning. This is not just about nuclear weapons, but about all the forces and means the country has. The president noted that Russia has no goal of scaring Europe, but is forced to respond to concrete actions: “Exercises in the Baltic Sea, one after another… But this is all escalation. Russia has competitive advantages in strike systems that other countries don’t have.”
