In response to the Lithuanian government's ban on the transit of Russian goods to Kaliningrad , Russia issued a retaliation warning on the 21st: "Russia will undoubtedly respond to this hostile behavior. Relevant response measures are being formulated in an interdepartmental manner and will be announced in the near future. Implementation. These measures will have a serious negative impact on the people of Lithuania ."
On the 21st local time, according to RIA Novosti news, Lithuania has expanded the scope of the transit transportation ban in Kaliningrad Oblast from railway transportation to For road transportation, currently Kaliningrad Oblast can only obtain goods such as iron ore, coal and construction materials from other regions of Russia through sea transportation.
It is reported that Russia will increase the cargo volume at the Leningrad Oblast seaport to ensure the supply of materials to the Kaliningrad Oblast. Secretary of the Russian Federation Security Council Patrushev html held discussions with local officials in Kaliningrad Oblast on the 221st on energy supply and other issues. He said that Russia would fight back against the "embargo" and make Lithuania "feel painful."
According to a report by Yahoo News on the 20th, after Lithuania banned Russian freight trains from passing through the territory, soldiers of the Russian Baltic Fleet were in Kaliningrad Oblast. Conduct training exercises for missile and artillery units. About 1,000 Russian soldiers and more than 100 pieces of military and special equipment from missile and artillery units participated in the exercise.
Although Kaliningrad Oblast is small, it is a strategic location for Russia to check and balance NATO . The Associated Press said that as Russia’s only ice-free port on the Baltic Sea, it is the location of the Russian Baltic Fleet base, with 80 warships. The Financial Times stated on the 21st that Moscow has also deployed "Iskander" ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads and in the region, but it did not say whether these missiles carry nuclear warheads.
Coincidentally, on the 21st, the Russian Ministry of Defense released a video of the "Iskander" missile operating in Ukraine. The Russian Ministry of Defense said that the Ukrainian air defense system was unable to intercept the missile.
The "Washington Post " commented on the 21st that Kaliningrad, an enclave where "Iskander" ballistic missiles are deployed and known as Russia's "unsinkable aircraft carrier" on the Baltic Sea, It may become the latest trigger of conflict between Russia and the West.
It is worth noting that some Russian media called for "breaking through military means" the land corridor leading to Kaliningrad through Lithuania, and some Russian media began to discuss "several possible ways to attack Lithuania."
source | Comprehensive CCTV News, Global Times editor
| Leng Shuang
