Russia threatens with nuclear weapons if NATO blocks Kaliningrad

BrusselsRussia is once again threatening NATO with nuclear weapons. The Kremlin has sent a letter to the Atlantic Alliance in which it warns that it is prepared to resort to atomic armament if the defense organization attempts to block the Kaliningrad region, a Russian enclave located between Poland and Lithuania, with access to the Baltic Sea.

Specifically, it asserts that it plans to use "the entire arsenal of forces at its disposal, including nuclear weapons," in order to "defend its territory" and, particularly, if the countries of the Atlantic Alliance attempt to "isolate the Kaliningrad region from the rest of the country." In the text, which has been made public by the Reuters agency and confirmed by the defense body, Moscow criticizes that NATO is taking a "dangerous and reckless" path that may entail a high risk that it "erupts into a direct armed conflict."

Moscow's threat comes in a context of escalation, in which "gray zone" actions such as sabotage, cyberattacks, or incursions by Russian drones and aircraft have multiplied on NATO territory. Faced with this scenario, several member states have demanded a more forceful response from the Atlantic Alliance or the European Union which, in parallel to the military organization, is seeking mechanisms to respond jointly to hybrid warfare.

NATO has transmitted a response to Moscow in which it assures that none of its "activities or exercises represent a risk to any part of Russia." "We firmly denounce the threat of the use of force, including any irresponsible nuclear rhetoric. We call on Russia to put an end to its unprovoked war in Ukraine," said the Alliance's response, as confirmed by a NATO spokesperson. Likewise, it adds that the Russian "threat assessment" "has not changed compared to three weeks, three months, and a year ago."

The Secretary General of the Atlantic Alliance, Mark Rutte, has also tried to calm tensions and has insisted that Russia does not pose an "imminent threat" to the continent. But he has been firm with Vladimir Putin and has warned Moscow to stop the nuclear threats. "We are a defensive alliance. Stop the nuclear threats. [...] This does not help," said Rutte at an event organized by Euronews in Brussels.

Legitimate targets

Far from cowering before NATO, the Kremlin has raised the tone. The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, warned this very Wednesday that European factories producing weapons for Ukraine are legitimate and potential military targets for Russia. "One should not assume that military factories outside Ukrainian territory that produce weapons for the Kyiv regime will be safe. Whoever thinks so is mistaken," she warned.

Moscow considers that European countries are complicit with Kyiv because their actions delay the end of the conflict. "By opening arms factories and joint ventures, they are fully involved. And this only delays the resolution of the conflict instead of bringing it closer, as some forces in Europe think or imagine," stated Zakharova.

Although the warning comes now, Russia has already carried out operations that have targeted the manufacturing and logistics of European weaponry. German intelligence services attributed to Russia the incident involving a drone in Leipzig in August, when an unmanned aerial vehicle loaded with explosives struck a Ukrainian cargo plane. Also at the end of August, Polish authorities opened an investigation because they suspect that "a foreign intelligence service" was behind a fire at a drone factory in Poland. And just yesterday, Estonia held Russia responsible for another fire at a military robotics plant in Tallinn. In all three cases, the weaponry was intended to combat the Russian invasion of Ukraine.