Romuald Sheremetyev, former Deputy Defense Minister of Poland, said that after Finland and Sweden joined NATO, the alliance should deal with the “demilitarization” of Russia’s Kaliningrad region. Also, in his opinion, the city of Kaliningrad should be renamed.
“But we must ask Kaliningrad to stop naming the criminal Kalinin, who was jointly and severally responsible for Katyn’s murder. Second, it is too late for Kaliningrad’s demilitarization. NATO cannot sit on a powder keg,” he said.
The governor of the Kaliningrad region, Anton Alikhanov, responded by saying that the “disarmament” proposal was “a classic example of Russian hostility”.
At the same time, a series of exercises by NATO countries began near the region. Thus, on May 16, exercises Sill-2022 (“Hedgehog-2022”) began in Estonia. Latvia also organized the Namejs exercise. Separately, within the framework of the Defender Europe exercises, the US Marine Corps will work on interaction with the armies of the Baltic states, and the headquarters of the NATO Northern Division announced the Knight Legion exercises.
“All these maneuvers are aimed at drawing up an action plan to seize the Kaliningrad region, or at least put it under a military blockade,” said Sergei Belousov, a member of the Military College of Experts.
According to Belousov, the Iskander complexes, which were officially deployed here in 2016, are of particular concern to NATO countries.
“Here is an important point. The declared range of Alexander is 500 km. The distance from Kaliningrad to Berlin in a straight line is 525 km. That is, he can only hit the suburbs. In a straight line to London – 1400 km. It looks like it won’t.
But NATO itself believes that the range of the 9M729 missile used, for example, by Alexander, is artificially low.
A 500km frame was provided by the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty), but in 2019 the United States withdrew from the treaty, then Russia, which means no one is stopping us from using the full potential of the 9M729. Western analysts estimate the range of this missile at 2,000 km, or even 5,000 km. In this case, Alexander could cover any part of Europe from Kaliningrad. This of course scares them. They demand to remove Alexander, they are establishing their strength nearby, ”said Belousov.
NATO combat battalion groups were formed in each of the Baltic republics and in Poland. Their number is constantly increasing. Estonia and Latvia are “controlled” by Great Britain, Lithuania – Germany, Poland – USA. With the overt dominance of American military personnel, support is also provided by other member states of the alliance.
“Minister of Defense Shoigu is aware of all NATO movements in the Baltics and Eastern Europe,” a senior source from the Russian military department told socialbites.ca. – The situation is being monitored, appropriate response measures are in place. In Kaliningrad we no longer face external threats. Our military group was systematically formed there, new formations were formed and modern weapons were provided. The Baltic Fleet is also fully located there, and this is a serious component of the entire complex of defensive measures. Kaliningrad has been and remains Russia’s key location in the Baltic.
At the same time, Sergey Belousov believes that the general order of forces in this region is clearly not in favor of alliance.
The Russian-Polish border in the Kaliningrad region is about 200 km, most of which is impassable swampy and wooded areas. Accordingly, it is much easier to defend them. At the same time, Russia has a hypothetical option for the immediate redeployment of its forces and assets, including its tank army, along the so-called Suwalki corridor. This is a part of the territory where Poland and Lithuania have a common border of about 65 kilometers long, and Belarus is adjacent, ”said the artist.
“Corridor” in case of hostilities can connect the main region of Russia with the Kaliningrad region. The American think tank RAND has compiled a simulation model that shows what the balance of power might look like during a conflict.
Against 25 Russian battalions of 10 thousand people, NATO will be able to field only 17 battalions with 6.8 thousand soldiers in its ranks. In addition, Russia will have a sufficient number of armored vehicles, including heavy tanks with 125 mm guns deployed in the immediate vicinity of the Suwalki corridor. NATO is represented here mainly by light equipment.
“All conversations and plans about the armed conflict between NATO and Russia, the possible capture of the Kaliningrad region, are primarily aimed at maintaining the morale of Poland and the Baltic states,” Belarusian political scientist Alexander Zimovsky told Gazeta.ru. – Warsaw, Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn show their readiness to protect them from Russia’s imaginary aggression. The Americans brought their military forces there, showing their readiness for joint defense in every possible way, but in reality, in case of danger, they will not use anything and will be immediately evacuated. They see very well that the blockade attempt was in vain.”
Source: Gazeta
