Russia's Kaliningrad puts on brave face as isolation bites

KALININGRAD,

Standing in the centre of rainy Kaliningrad - the Russian exclave hemmed in by NATO countries - factory worker Alexander remained defiant.

Economically hit by being cut off from its EU neighbours and physically isolated from mainland Russia, both officials and residents are putting on a brave face amid claims they are under siege from Poland and Lithuania.

The Baltic states surrounding Kaliningrad, all NATO members, have been among Ukraine’s staunchest backers since Moscow launched its offensive in February 2022.

“Poland and Lithuania want to show off, display their strength, reinforce their borders,” said Alexander, 25, who declined to give his surname.
But his city is “certainly not one that surrenders,” he added proudly, noting that Russia possessed far more weapons than its smaller neighbours.

His defiance mirrors the Kremlin’s long-running criticism of NATO. Russian President Vladimir Putin has for years accused the alliance of breaking an alleged promise not to expand eastwards.
In June, he said Russians had been “tricked, duped on the subject of NATO’s non-expansion.”

Ukraine and Western governments reject that narrative as a pretext advanced by Putin to justify an offensive that has become Europe’s largest conflict since the Second World War.

In Russia’s neighbouring states, tensions are running high.
Poland and Lithuania - which share land borders with Kaliningrad - have virtually closed entry to Russian citizens, except in limited cases.
Recently, both Estonia and Lithuania have reported Russian aircraft violating their airspace.

Poland’s new president, Karol Nawrocki, said he believed Russia was “ready to hit at other countries” after NATO jets were scrambled to shoot down Russian drones that entered Polish airspace.

Kaliningrad - once the German city of Königsberg before becoming Soviet after World War II - holds deep strategic value for Moscow. It is home to Russia’s Baltic Fleet and Iskander ballistic missiles, the same type regularly fired on Ukraine.

The region’s governor declined to comment when contacted by AFP.

The Kremlin’s hardline rhetoric resonates with many locals.
Marina, 63, who works in a clothing shop, mocked the exclave’s EU neighbours.
“Let them bark,” she said. “I am 100 percent protected in Kaliningrad. I’m not scared of NATO.”

Tour guide Anna Dmitrik, showing Russian tourists around the tomb of philosopher Immanuel Kant, said she was relieved Kaliningrad had not been targeted by Ukrainian retaliatory drone strikes.
“It’s calm here. We are not scared for now,” she said. “I don’t know what will happen next.”

Still, reminders of the war are everywhere.
Banners urge men to join Russia’s “victorious army” fighting in Ukraine, while giant Z symbols - representing Moscow’s forces - decorate buildings.

But behind the defiance, many residents admit to feeling increasingly isolated and worse off than before February 2022.

With EU airspace closed to Russian aircraft, flights between Kaliningrad and the rest of Russia must take a lengthy detour north over the Gulf of Finland.
A train to Moscow travels through Lithuania in sealed carriages, with Russian passengers requiring a visa or transit permit.

Vilnius has also closed its border with key Russian ally Belarus for at least a month following the intrusion of balloons carrying thousands of illegal cigarettes into EU territory.

“Before, you could go to Poland to shop or just take a walk. Buses and trucks were running,” said mechanic Vitaly Tsypliankov, 48.
“Life was better then,” he added. “Now everything is closed. Everything is more expensive - absolutely everything has become costlier.”

Inflation has soared across Russia during the war, but the impact of disrupted logistics has hit Kaliningrad especially hard.

While Poland’s border is technically open, only Russians with EU residency may cross. Traffic has dwindled to almost nothing, leaving many petrol stations near the frontier deserted or shut.

The once-bustling Baltia shopping mall on the road to the airport now stands nearly empty.

“Kaliningrad’s economic situation is very bad,” said Irina, a saleswoman at the mall, exhaling cigarette smoke.
“Logistics are very complicated to bring in products from the rest of Russia,” she said. “Everything is more expensive.”