Russia has warned that it could use nuclear weapons if NATO attempts to blockade or militarily isolate Kaliningrad, escalating tensions between Moscow and the Western alliance over the strategically important Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea.
In a statement published Wednesday, Russia’s Embassy in Ireland said Moscow was prepared to use its full military arsenal, including nuclear weapons, to defend Russian territory if NATO countries attempted to cut Kaliningrad off from the rest of Russia.
The warning followed a similar statement from Russia’s Embassy in the United Kingdom a day earlier. The London embassy said any British or NATO military action against Russian territory could be met with “all means” available to Moscow, including nuclear weapons.
The statements come amid heightened tensions between Russia and NATO over security in the Baltic region and Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
Russia has also sent NATO a diplomatic document accusing the alliance of pursuing what Moscow described as a dangerous course that could lead to direct military confrontation. NATO confirmed receiving the communication and rejected Russia’s allegations, describing its military exercises as defensive and condemning Moscow’s nuclear rhetoric as irresponsible.
The Russian Embassy in Ireland accused NATO and the European Union of increasing military activity along Russia’s western borders. It also claimed NATO could be preparing an air and naval blockade of Kaliningrad, but did not publicly provide evidence supporting that allegation.
Kaliningrad is a heavily militarized Russian territory on the Baltic Sea situated between NATO members Poland and Lithuania. It is geographically separated from mainland Russia and occupies a strategically sensitive position along NATO’s northeastern flank.
Moscow has rejected warnings from some European officials that Russia could eventually seek a military confrontation with NATO, maintaining that it has no intention of attacking alliance members.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has also warned Western governments against direct military action against Russia, saying any such confrontation would result in a fundamentally different and potentially much shorter conflict.
NATO, meanwhile, said it would not be deterred from supporting Ukraine and reiterated that the alliance’s military posture is defensive.
The latest exchange represents another escalation in nuclear rhetoric between Moscow and NATO as both sides continue to reinforce their military presence and preparedness in the Baltic region.
