Kaliningrad: Russians' bluff or their last red line?

If the Russia-Ukraine war does not end by February 2027, it will complete its 5th year... Although newspaper headlines and leaders' statements give the impression that 'peace is imminent', we have not yet seen its reflections on the field.

Both sides continue to target vital points such as energy and logistics lines. Of course, it is not a coincidence that attacks on civilian infrastructures are increasing just days before the cold weather sets in.

Kaliningrad, which has no land connection with Russia, was taken from Germany at the end of World War II and became Russian territory. Over time, its neighbors became members of the EU and NATO. Naturally, this small place has risen to a very critical position not only for Moscow but also for EU countries and NATO.

Russian President Putin recently said about Kaliningrad: "If there is an intervention there, we will use all the weapons in our arsenal." This sentence took the incident to the next level.

It is difficult to know whether Putin was really referring to nuclear weapons when he said "everything" or whether he meant the arsenal in Kaliningrad.

However, as of now, it is obvious that we will hear the name Kaliningrad more often. Giresun University Faculty Member Prof. Dr. We talked with Göktürk Tüysüzoğlu about the strategic importance of this piece of land.

Source: TRT Haber Açık RSS (Gündem) (Open Press / Translated Full Text)