Putin warns NATO over Kaliningrad, says Russia will use ‘all weapons’

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Moscow would use "all weapons" at its disposal, including nuclear arms, if NATO attempts to isolate or attack Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave or extend the Ukraine war into the Baltic region.

Speaking at the Valdai Discussion Club in Moscow on Thursday, Putin said any direct attack on Russia, including Kaliningrad or other Russian territories, would inevitably raise the issue of using the country’s full arsenal.

“If it comes to a direct attack against the Russian Federation, in this case on Kaliningrad and possibly some other territories, of course the issue of using all weapons in our country’s arsenal will inevitably and unavoidably emerge on the agenda. This is unavoidable,” he cautioned.

The warning comes amid heightened NATO military activity around the Baltic Sea and growing concerns in Moscow over the buildup of Western forces near Kaliningrad, Russia’s strategically located exclave between NATO members Poland and Lithuania.

“The drills in the Baltic Sea, following one another … Then the attempts to arrest our ships and vessels. All this is an escalation. And then we began to hear statements regarding the Kaliningrad region,” Putin said.

The president said Russia had no intention of attacking European countries but would respond to any aggression against its territory, urging European citizens to understand Moscow’s position.

The Kremlin has repeatedly warned that any attempt by NATO members to sever Kaliningrad from the rest of Russia would be treated as an attack on Russian territory and prompt Moscow to use its “full arsenal of forces and means,” including nuclear weapons.

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On Wednesday Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova also warned that any European attack on Russia would result in “a very short war.”

Germany and Sweden recently held the Silver Wotan military exercise on Sweden’s Gotland Island, while NATO fighter jets were scrambled six times between September 21 and 27 to identify and escort Russian aircraft operating between mainland Russia and Kaliningrad.

The latest escalation follows broader tensions between Moscow and NATO that intensified after Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine in February 2022, following years of disputes over NATO’s eastward expansion and Ukraine’s stated desire to join the alliance.

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