Kaliningrad: Russian outpost in the heart of Europe

Located about 1,000 miles from Moscow, the Russian outpost of Kaliningrad has been drawn into the war in Ukraine, after Lithuania said it would no longer serve as a conduit for sanctioned goods arriving in the territory from of the motherland.

Paris, (APP – UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – June 21, 2022): Located about 1,000 miles from Moscow, the Russian outpost of Kaliningrad has been drawn into the war in Ukraine, after Lithuania said that it would no longer serve as a conduit for sanctioned goods arriving in the territory from the mother country.

Here are some key facts about the territory wedged between Lithuania and EU and NATO member Poland, which has found itself increasingly isolated since Russia invaded Ukraine.

– Birthplace of Prussian kings – Kaliningrad covers an area about half the size of Switzerland centered on the ancient Hanseatic port of Koenigsberg, which was seized by Germany’s Red Army at the end of World War II world.

In 1946, the city was renamed Kaliningrad in honor of Mikhail Kalinin, a prominent Soviet leader. Its German population fled or was expelled by the Soviets.

Founded in 1255, the city was the home of the Prussian kings and the birthplace of 18th-century philosopher Immanuel Kant.

The territory, home to just over a million people, broke away from the Russian mainland after the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991.

– Baltic stronghold – The territory has a long military tradition, acting as one of Germany’s easternmost strongholds during both World Wars before becoming a bastion of Soviet power during the Cold War.

In recent years, Moscow has stepped up military activity in its only year-round ice-free port on the Baltic Sea, home to its Baltic Sea Fleet.

In February, just before invading Ukraine, Russia deployed hypersonic missiles to the territory and last month announced that it had practiced simulated nuclear-capable missile strikes in western Kaliningrad. .

– Ice-free investment hub – Russia’s hold in Europe is also a hub for trade between Russia and Eastern Europe and was a magnet for foreign investment before the war, with BMW among a handful of foreign automakers that assembled vehicles in its special economic zone.

Much of the trade between the Russian mainland and Kaliningrad passes through Lithuania, which now refuses to allow rail shipments of Russian goods under EU sanctions to pass.

Kaliningrad Governor Anton Alikhanov says the “blockade” affects up to 50% of the enclave’s imports.

Targeted imports include metals, cement, alcohol and fertilizers, followed by coal and oil at a later date.

Moscow accuses the EU of breaching a 2002 travel deal between Russia and Kaliningrad and has threatened Lithuania with “serious” consequences.