Russia has warned that NATO's irresponsible and reckless policy regarding the Kaliningrad region increases the risk of direct military confrontation with Russia. The Russian Embassy in Belgium issued a statement on 28/9, adding that it had conveyed this position to NATO's International Secretariat and the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Russia's statement came after NATO conducted an air exercise in northeast Poland, near Kaliningrad. The exercise involved US and Norwegian fighter jets, NATO's E-3A early warning aircraft, aerial refueling planes, and US EA-37B electronic warfare aircraft.

Polish soldiers erecting a barbed-wire fence along the border with Russia's Kaliningrad exclave in November 2022. *Photo: Reuters*

The Polish military stated that it coordinated the exercise with NATO to enhance combat interoperability among allied forces, and that it was unrelated to any Russian air force activities.

However, Moscow believes that NATO's military operations near Kaliningrad are part of a plan to isolate the territory from Russia.

"We emphasize that Russia possesses the necessary means to repel the threat of attack and is ready to deploy its entire existing arsenal if NATO countries try to isolate the Kaliningrad region from the rest of the country", the Russian Embassy in Belgium declared.

The agency also called on NATO member states to "refrain from words and actions that further escalate tensions, to prevent the risk of a large-scale confrontation". NATO has not commented on this statement.

Kaliningrad is a Russian exclave situated between two NATO member states, Lithuania and Poland, and borders the Baltic Sea.

Kaliningrad was originally Prussian territory, named Konigsberg. The city was once incorporated into the Polish kingdom as Krolewiec, but Prussia later reclaimed it. Before World War II, it was a major city in eastern Germany.

Russia's Kaliningrad exclave and the Baltic Sea. *Graphic: BBC*

The Soviet Union took control of the area after World War II, considering it part of war reparations. The territory was later renamed Kaliningrad in honor of the revolutionary Mikhail Kalinin.

Russia regularly deploys Su-27 fighter jets to escort military flights to and from Kaliningrad. NATO also frequently dispatches fighter jets to monitor Russian aircraft formations, but both sides typically maintain a safe distance to avoid collisions.

By Ngoc Anh (Sources: TASS, Reuters, AFP)