Russia's embassy in London has issued a fresh nuclear threat against Britain, warning that any UK or Nato military action against the Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad would be met with "all means at Russia's disposal, including nuclear weapons".
In a sharply worded statement, the embassy cited recent discussion over a potential Nato blockade of Kaliningrad, as well as a Sky television drama exploring a mock Russian strike on Britain. The embassy said the "prospect of a hypothetical strike" had been examined in the broadcaster's new series, The Wargame.
Embassy warns of consequences
"Those advocating plans to blockade or strike Kaliningrad should have no illusions about the consequences," the statement said. "Any British or NATO military action against Russian territory would be met with a response using all means at Russia's disposal, including nuclear weapons."
The statement started with an odd reference to the recent mini-series on Sky, which features real political figures, such as former First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon and former Tory MP Michael Gove, taking charge of a simulated scenario responding to a Russian attack on UK soil.
References to i Paper article and Sky series
"We have noted an article in The i Paper on Kaliningrad, which suggests, among other things, that NATO could blockade the region or 'de-recognise Russian sovereignty'," the statement added. "The prospect of a hypothetical strike is also explored in Sky News' recent mini-series The Wargame."
Sky described the show as being "a provocative stress test on our leaders, our institutions and the country itself". The article published by The i Paper under the headline 'Russia's tiny outpost in Europe could be Putin's greatest weakness' examined the strategic importance of Kaliningrad, the Russian exclave separated from the mainland by Nato territory, an area long regarded by military planners as one of the most likely flashpoints for a wider confrontation between Russia and the alliance.
Kaliningrad's strategic role
The article quoted former NATO officials and security analysts who described the enclave as "a vulnerability" and Russia's "Achilles Heel". Annexed from Germany after the Second World War, Kaliningrad remains central to Moscow's military posture in the Baltic, hosting Russia's Baltic Fleet and around 12,000 troops from its 11th Army Corps.
The warning comes amid growing concern along NATO's eastern flank, with Lithuania and Poland drawing up contingency plans amid fears of possible Russian aggression in the region. The plans focus on an area called the Suwałki Gap, which connects Kaliningrad with the Russian-allied state of Belarus via a 60-mile stretch of the Polish and Lithuanian border.
Lithuania and Poland are currently working together on a framework for plans in case Putin were to move his forces from Belarus across the gap to Kaliningrad, leaving Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania cut off from the rest of Europe.
