Putin threatens Europe with war over Kaliningrad: after Lithuania’s statements, Kremlin speaks of “unprecedented escalation”
19 December 19:53
Vladimir Putin has warned of the risk of a “large-scale armed conflict” between Russia and Europe in the event of a blockade of the Kaliningrad region. He said this during his so-called “direct line” commenting on possible restrictions on transit to the Russian enclave, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
What Putin said
According to Putin, if there are “threats to the Kaliningrad region,” Russia intends to “destroy them.” He warned that such actions on the part of European countries would allegedly lead to an “unprecedented escalation” and bring the conflict to a “completely different level.”
“Everyone should understand this and realize that actions of this kind will simply lead to an unprecedented escalation of the conflict and bring it to a completely different level and expand it to a large-scale armed conflict,” he said.
Why Kaliningrad is back in focus
Putin’s statement came amid discussions in Lithuania about possible tightening of control on the border with the Kaliningrad region. Lithuanian officials have previously allowed transit to and from the Russian enclave to be restricted due to incidents with weather balloons that flew in from Belarus.
According to Vilnius, such balloons could be used for smuggling, which creates additional security risks. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda has publicly stated that the country may close the border and restrict transit to Kaliningrad in response to these threats.
What the Kremlin says
The Kremlin traditionally presents Kaliningrad as a “red line” in relations with the West. The Russian authorities have repeatedly interpreted any transit restrictions as hostile actions, even when it comes to implementing EU sanctions or border security measures.
