Lithuania demands Kaliningrad return and Russia is furious: The Kremlin, through its spokesman Dimitry Peskov, accused Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda of a “hostile” attitude towards Moscow and of “territorial claims” to the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad. The president defined it as “primarily Lithuanian,” raising the possibility that Russia could “return” it.
Last year, the three Baltic states agreed to create a joint defense zone on their borders with Russia and Belarus. It poses security concerns in the region. The border of Lithuania and Latvia with Russia and Belarus, and the border of Estonia with Russia can be seen as a new line of cold confrontation between Moscow and the Western world. As during the Cold War in the 20th century, this region now lives under the shadow of the threat of a real “hot” confrontation.
Lithuania is taking security threats seriously, and this is part of the new reality that the entire region has been living in since 2014 (and especially since February 2022). Vilnius is implementing measures on the border near Russia (Kaliningrad region) and Belarus, including the accumulation of anti-tank barriers and other fortifications in the so-called “anti-movement parks”. Prepared elements of the fortifications could be quickly moved from the parks to planned areas in a situation if armed conflict seemed inevitable. Recently, bloodshed has flared up again.
THE RETURN OF KALININGRAD
Lithuania demands Kaliningrad return and Russia is furious: The Kremlin, through its spokesman Dimitry Peskov, accused Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda of a “hostile” attitude towards Moscow and of “territorial claims” to the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad. The president defined it as “primarily Lithuanian,” raising the possibility that Russia could “return” it.
At a press conference in Moscow, Peskov described Vilnius as “unfriendly and hostile,” a stance that “justifies” the measures adopted by Russia to “guarantee its security.” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also attacked Nauseda, calling him a “cardboard doll” who “inflates his historical fantasies,” inviting him to “study a little history.” He explained, in fact, that the Russian enclave is part of the historical region that fell within the borders of Prussia and then East Prussia. Later, he called on Lithuanian diplomats and politicians to pay attention to the economy and respect human rights.
COLLISION WITH MOSCOW
“They worry about an identity of which almost nothing is left after decades of independence – his words reported by Tass – it is thanks to Josef Stalin that the capital of Lithuania is Vilnius and not Kaunas”. Finally, he condemned the demolition of monuments honoring soldiers: “I remind you that Lithuania’s largest port on the Baltic was finally renamed from Memel to Klaipeda, which became Lithuanian in 1945 thanks to the selfless action of the Red Army”. In recent days, Nauseda had declared that Kaliningrad is part of the historical region and, therefore, is an “originally Lithuanian” city. He then raised the possibility that Moscow could “return” it.
THE RISK FOR LITHUANIA
Lithuania joined NATO at the end of March 2004 and a few days later became a member of the European Union. For Vilnius, both events have not only practical but also symbolic meanings. It was the final step towards full integration into the Western world after Lithuania had been excluded for decades by Soviet occupation. NATO’s umbrella became for Lithuania a guarantee that the situation of 1940 would not be repeated. Especially considering that the threat of a direct military confrontation between Russia and NATO seemed unrealistic in 2004.
The Alliance improved the security of Lithuania and the other Baltic states by establishing the NATO Air Policing mission in the context of the lack of military air capabilities of the forces from Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. It can also be seen as a symbolic gesture on the part of NATO. The low concern about the security situation in the period after NATO membership is indicated by the fact that Lithuania abolished conscription and returned military service to a professional one only in 2008. The decision was reviewed after Russia’s actions against Ukraine in 2014. Recruitment into the Lithuanian army was resumed in 2015.
