Putin warns West of ‘all weapons’ as Kaliningrad becomes new flashpoint

Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued a new warning to the West against war in Ukraine with more emphasis on its Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad’s security.

Speaking at the Valdai Discussion club in Moscow on Thursday, Putin clarified his intentions regarding going to the conflict with European countries. But if it comes to the security of Kaliningrad, the Russian territory located between NATO members Poland and Lithuania, Russia would be prepared to use all weapons in its arsenal including nuclear ones to defend the enclave.

Moscow has strongly condemned recent defensive NATO military drills near Kaliningrad. Following the exercises, Russia warned in late September that any attempt by the alliance to blockade the exclave by air or sea would trigger retaliation.

“The drills in the Baltic Sea, following one another … Then the attempts to arrest our ships and vessels. All this is an escalation. And then we began to hear statements regarding the Kaliningrad region,” Putin said.

“If it comes to direct attack against the Russian Federation, in this case on Kaliningrad and possibly some other territories, of course the issue of using all weapons in our country’s arsenal will inevitably and unavoidably emerge on the agenda. This is unavoidable,” he cautioned.

Putin’s warning comes as NATO, several European countries and the UK have accused Russia of waging hybrid warfare to weaken the West's support for Kyiv in the more than four-years long Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Last week, Denmark intelligence services issued a threat assessment report mentioning that Russia could escalate hybrid warfare in coming months. However, Moscow has repeatedly denied waging such hybrid tactics.

Why Kaliningrad matters for Russia

Moscow treats threats or attempts to blockade Kaliningrad as a major red line because of its immense strategic, military and symbolic importance to Russia.

Kaliningrad gives Russia a forward military position on the Baltic Sea. It hosts important air, missile and naval capabilities, including Iskander missile systems that can carry conventional or nuclear warheads.

Besides being strategic territory, it is potentially a pressure point for Russia because of having been surrounded by two NATO states. From Moscow's perspective, losing or being seriously weakened there would reduce Russia's ability to project military power in the Baltic and maintain the supply lines.