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The Strategic Relevance of Kaliningrad
U.S. Naval Institute ^ | October 2024 | Dr. Paolo Pizzolo

Posted on 10/25/2024 3:10:30 PM PDT by Retain Mike

Situated between Poland and Lithuania, both members of the European Union and NATO, Kaliningrad Oblast is a Russian exclave on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, as well as the westernmost region of the Russian Federation.

Tactically, in the event of conflict, Russia could form a land bridge from Belarus to the Kaliningrad exclave along the so-called Suwałki Gap, severing the Baltic states, including Lithuania, from other members of the Atlantic Alliance. In this scenario, troops stationed in Lithuania as part of a German-led NATO brigade would be surrounded and cut off from Central Europe. In addition, the deployment of long-range antiaircraft, surface-to-air, and surface-to-surface missiles could deny NATO forces access to maritime and land areas in the region

.

To defend Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania under the collective defense provisions of Article 5 of its founding treaty, NATO would have to break the potential air, sea, and land blockade formed by Kaliningrad.

From a military perspective, the geostrategic position of Kaliningrad presents opportunities and challenges for Russia. It provides an early-warning function and air-defense option in coordination with units from the mainland transiting through Belarus. In addition, the Baltic Fleet is positioned to project control over or exercise sea denial in the central Baltic Sea region and ensure access to the Gulf of Finland, with consequences not only for the Baltic States, but also for the security and freedom of maneuver of NATO members Finland and Sweden.

(Excerpt) Read more at usni.org ...


TOPICS: Military/Veterans
KEYWORDS: chancremaximus; kalininggrad; kaliningrad; knigsberg; koenigsberg; nato; russia
Here is a piece of geography I wasn’t aware of which gives Russia a year-round ice-free port, and which makes serving on a ship in Northern Europe more interesting.
1 posted on 10/25/2024 3:10:30 PM PDT by Retain Mike
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To: Retain Mike

Kaliningrad is virtually undefended at the moment, due to the manpower strain of the Ukraine war. Lithuania could waltz right in if it wanted, not to mention a full NATO assault.


2 posted on 10/25/2024 3:21:13 PM PDT by Alter Kaker (Gravitation is a theory, not a fact. It should be approached with an open mind.)
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To: Retain Mike

Oh yeah, it’s right there. Got nukes too I heard.


3 posted on 10/25/2024 3:22:08 PM PDT by DIRTYSECRET
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To: Retain Mike
Courland Pocket II: The Return of the Dead

4 posted on 10/25/2024 3:23:57 PM PDT by Governor Dinwiddie (O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is gracious, and His mercy endureth forever. — Psalm 106)
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To: Retain Mike

My grandpa was born there when it was Prussia. The Soviets destroyed the records so that’s all we know of Opa.


5 posted on 10/25/2024 3:39:35 PM PDT by IDFbunny (Crimea was never Ukraine.)
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To: Alter Kaker

Until 1945 it was Koenigsberg in East Prussia (known as the birthplace of Immanuel Kant and for a famous mathematical puzzle involving its bridges). Stalin gave half of East Prussia to Poland and annexed the rest to Russia, renaming the city for one of his flunkies. The original king honored by the city’s name was a 13th-century Czech king.


6 posted on 10/25/2024 3:40:04 PM PDT by Verginius Rufus
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To: Governor Dinwiddie

“Courland Pocket II: The Return of the Dead.”

That was my first thought too.


7 posted on 10/25/2024 4:10:01 PM PDT by bravo whiskey (Annie Savoy : The world is made for people who aren't cursed with self awareness. )
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To: Alter Kaker

That’s because it’s part of the Russian federation. Lithuania would vanish, or NATO would get nuked if they invaded.


8 posted on 10/25/2024 4:41:19 PM PDT by DesertRhino (2016 Star Wars, 2020 The Empire Strikes Back, 2024... RETURN OF THE JEDI..)
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To: Retain Mike

Lithuania to the east, Poland to the west, Sweden and Finland to the north Kalingrad would have a very short but exciting life quickly followed by a three pronged attack on St Petersburg I suspect. Additionally why would Belarus want to get involved in a war with NATO? They barely want to help in Ukraine. No point in losing quickly and getting hung for your efforts.


9 posted on 10/25/2024 5:39:50 PM PDT by your other brother
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To: Retain Mike

Kalingrad is an ice free port and home to the Russian fleet that would be bottled up there on day one of any war by mine layers, subs, and planes.The Vistula Spit has one opening barely a few hundred meters wide that ships need to use to get in and out of Kalingrad. You would be hard pressed to find a worse place to headquarter a fleet but Russia has few choices which is why they are fighting so hard to hold Crimea and get a viable land bridge to it.


10 posted on 10/25/2024 6:16:54 PM PDT by your other brother
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To: DesertRhino

Yes, that’s true, if Russia wants to start a global thermonuclear war in response to its overwhelming conventional inferiority to NATO, it can do so (and of course Moscow and every russian city will be vaporized in the exchange, but who’s counting). But that’s the issue - Russia is a backwards third world joke, a schoolyard bully... Upper Volta with nukes.


11 posted on 10/27/2024 6:20:11 AM PDT by Alter Kaker (Gravitation is a theory, not a fact. It should be approached with an open mind.)
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To: Alter Kaker

What conventional inferiority? The stronger NATO country France has a single division theoretically capable at combined arms, the rest is a colonial police force, that is sqeezed by Russian PMCs out of Africa, if anything.
And the US was defeated by Taliban.


12 posted on 10/27/2024 9:24:29 PM PDT by NorseViking
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To: IDFbunny; Retain Mike; DIRTYSECRET; AdmSmith; SpeedyInTexas; PIF; blitz128; FtrPilot; USA-FRANCE; ..

My grandmother and probably her husband were from East Prussia and came to the US around 1890. My grandfather was a marine engineer in the Navy, and he did not like the direction the politics of Germany and where they were headed.


13 posted on 11/01/2024 11:18:34 PM PDT by gleeaikin ( Question authority as you provide links)
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To: gleeaikin

1890, quite the crystal ball they had. My mothers side grandparents came from Germany, my fathers side parents came from Lithuania pre war


14 posted on 11/02/2024 4:03:05 AM PDT by blitz128
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