President Putin has drawn a red line for Europe, warning that if any country attempts to block Kaliningrad, Russia will "eliminate these threats," he issued a war warning, saying that such a blockade would escalate the conflict to an "unprecedented level, and could even turn into a large-scale military conflict." Kaliningrad is a "exclave" of Russian territory located between Lithuania and Poland, connected by land via the "Suwałki Corridor" to Belarus. It was formerly part of Germany, and after World War II was ceded to the Soviet Union, and renamed Kaliningrad in 1946. This is Russia's only ice-free port on the Baltic Sea, the headquarters of the Baltic Fleet, and Russian Iskander missiles are deployed here, with ranges covering half of Europe. It has always been a thorn in the side of NATO and EU countries.
In recent years, Poland and Lithuania have attempted to cut off this exclave from Russia through the "Suwałki Corridor" or sea routes, creating survival threats for Russians. Recently, there have been more rumors about Lithuania or Poland tightening transit rules due to sanctions against Russia, for example, Lithuanian railway operators plan to stop all Russian oil products from being transported to the Kaliningrad region. Evidently, Putin is targeting such actions that "can be seen as a war." The Russians believe that blocking Kaliningrad is a "taboo," symbolizing "intentional persecution" of Russians living in a circle of NATO countries, which is why Putin has issued a "straightforward warning" that "provoking Kaliningrad could trigger a third world war."
Original text: toutiao.com/article/1851992113642496/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.