RUSSIAN TERRITORY KALININGRAD TANGLED UP IN WAR

Isolated exclave important to Kremlin for strategic needs

The Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, hundreds of miles west of the rest of the country, is the latest flashpoint between Moscow and the rest of Europe as the fallout from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war reverberates beyond Ukraine.

Sandwiched between Lithuania and Poland — both of which are European Union and NATO members — Kaliningrad sits on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea. It receives much of its supplies via routes through Lithuania and Belarus.

Lithuania said in midJune that it will bar the transit of Kaliningrad-bound goods sanctioned by the EU, including coal, metals and construction materials, through its territory. The Kremlin called the move “unprecedented and illegal” and summoned the EU’s top diplomat in Moscow to complain.

Here’s what to know about this isolated Russian exclave and how it is tangled up in the war in Ukraine.

What is Kaliningrad’s history?

Formerly known as Königsberg, Kaliningrad was part of Germany until the Red Army seized control from the Nazis in 1945. It was ceded to the Soviet Union after the war in Europe ended. The city and seaport is now an exclave of the Russian Federation, detached by land from the rest of the country.

Russia renamed the city Kaliningrad in 1946, and the German population was evicted, with the city resettled by people from Russia and Belarus. It was closed to foreigners until 1991.

Given its geography, Kaliningrad shared relatively close economic ties with European states in the years after the collapse of the Soviet Union. But relations have faded during Putin’s tenure, particularly after Russia’s 2014 attack on Ukraine and annexation of Crimea drew EU sanctions and condemnation.

Why is Kaliningrad important to Russia?

Kaliningrad is strategically and militarily important to Russia. It has long been referred to as the Kremlin’s “unsinkable aircraft carrier” on the Baltic Sea, where weapons can be positioned within easy striking distance of Western Europe.

The Russian Baltic Sea Fleet is headquartered in Kaliningrad, and the Kremlin has placed nuclear weapons in the exclave, according to Lithuania. Moscow announced in spring it had carried out simulated launches of its nuclear-capable Iskander missile system there.

After the Cold War, Kaliningrad was envisioned as a “Baltic Hong Kong.” It operates as a special economic zone with low taxes and almost no import duties to stimulate investment, although the economy has faltered, particularly after Western sanctions were first imposed.

How has the war in Ukraine affected Kaliningrad and neighboring Lithuania?

The three Baltic states — Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia — are among Ukraine’s loudest supporters. Lithuanian state rail operator LTG said Friday the company will no longer allow the transit of Russian goods sanctioned by the EU through Lithuanian territory. According to Kaliningrad Gov. Anton Alikhanov, around half the items imported by his region would be affected. (The exclave still has maritime connections to Russia.)

LTG told The Washington Post that land transit between Kaliningrad and other Russian territory “is not suspended or banned” because the flow of passengers and cargo not subject to EU sanctions would continue.

The rail operator’s decision went into effect Saturday. While stores and gas stations in Kaliningrad are stocked, people rushed to building supply stores because construction materials are now prohibited from railway transport, Alikhanov wrote on Telegram on Monday. Goods like fuel and cement could still be shipped to Kaliningrad from Russia by sea, he added.

“The rhetoric today is sharp and uncompromising. The Lithuanians interpret the situation as ‘Russia is threatening Lithuania with war,’” Alikhanov said. “As if they did not start this round.”

What does the situation in Kaliningrad mean for NATO?

The three Baltic states were once ruled by Moscow, but they rushed into NATO after the end of the Cold War. They are concerned that the war could broaden and that an emboldened Russia might try to seize a strategically key stretch of land along the Polish-Lithuanian border. The roughly 40-mile Suwalki Gap connects Kaliningrad to the Russian client state of Belarus, and Kremlin control could deny the Baltic nations a land corridor to the rest of NATO.

Tension along the Suwalki Gap, named after a nearby Polish village, flared up in 2016 when NATO defense ministers decided to send 4,000 troops to Poland and the Baltic countries, with many on either side of the gap. On the same day, Russia kicked off a weeklong military exercise.