Where is Kaliningrad?
The Russian oblast or region, which is smaller than Wales, lies in the Baltic Sea, nestled between Lithuania in the north and east and Poland in the south. It is located about 800 miles (1,300 km) from Moscow.
Why is it Russian?
Before World War II it was the largest eastern city in Germany, known as Königsberg, which reflects its history as the crowning city of the Prussian monarchy.
In late July and early August 1945, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (replaced on July 26 by Clement Attlee after the summer general election), and the President of the United States United, Harry Truman, drew to raise Europe’s new borders at an Allied war summit in the German city of Potsdam.
Königsberg was ceded to the Soviet Union and later renamed Mikhail Kalinin, a Bolshevik revolutionary. The German population was expelled and repopulated by Soviet citizens. Lyudmila Putina, Vladimir Putin’s ex-wife, was born in Kaliningrad in 1958.
History, however, has left the oblast stranded. The collapse of the Soviet Union means that it is sandwiched between two NATO and EU member states, Poland and Lithuania. Kaliningrad gets much of its food from its EU neighbors, but the region remains heavily dependent on mainland Russia for other products. Every year, millions of tons of oil, coke and coal are transported, mainly by rail, to Lithuania. About 100 Russian transit trains pass through Lithuania every month. There have been tensions over the years. Lithuania built a new border fence in 2017 at the time of Russia’s massive Zapad (western) military exercises, and Lithuanian helicopters are known to hover over the railway line when Russian military personnel are on board.
Kaliningrad locator
What’s the problem?
Following Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, the EU imposed heavy sanctions on the Russian economy. Just under half of all goods that usually pass through Lithuania, such as coal, metals, building materials and advanced technology, are covered by a ban on Russian exports entering EU territory.
There is a different application date for many of the products. On June 17, the ban on Russian steel and iron ore came into force. Lithuanian state railways said they would no longer allow these goods to be transported on their tracks.
In response, the governor of the region, Anton Alikhanov, said that the ferry services from St. Petersburg would catch the tension and that there was no need to panic. This caused panic and video footage emerged from shoppers frantically filling shopping carts at DIY stores. Russia’s Foreign Ministry has accused Lithuania of violating international law and a series of agreements on facilitation of traffic from mainland Russia that had been agreed in 2004.
The Kremlin has threatened retaliation. All this is a result of Lithuania’s decision to increase security around trains. A permanent presence of helicopters is expected above the runways. The Kremlin has accused Lithuania of blocking its citizens.
What has been Lithuania’s response?
The government says it has only acted on European Commission guidelines. The country’s foreign minister on Monday accused the Kremlin of misrepresenting the situation. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell told a news conference in Brussels that Lithuania was “innocent”, but added that officials would “check” all relevant agreements.
Has this appeased Moscow?
No. The EU ambassador to Russia was summoned by a reprimand on Tuesday. The belligerent language of Kremlin retaliation has picked up speed. Moscow is blocking Ukrainian ports and creating a global food crisis that could kill millions. Russia’s security chief Nikolai Patrushev said on Tuesday that there would be “serious consequences” for Lithuanians “in the near future”. The EU has called for calm and a diplomatic solution.