Russian President Vladimir Putin paid a working visit to Kaliningrad on September 1, which was also the first time that Putin appeared on the Baltic Sea coast in more than half a year of russian-Ukrainian military conflict. Against the backdrop of the Baltic states collectively at the forefront of the anti-Russian front and Lithuania's repeated threats to interrupt Kaliningrad's logistics routes, the trip attracted a great deal of attention, with Poland being the most reactive. "Why is the Russian president present near the Polish border?" Some Polish media asked. Russia's "Independent" newspaper said that Putin's visit to Kaliningrad alarmed Poland, as if Putin was not going to celebrate "Knowledge Day" and talk with Kaliningrad Governor AliHanov about the transit of goods, but to launch iskandel missiles or "dagger" hypersonic missiles at Warsaw.
Before leaving, he mourned Gorbachev
On September 1, before leaving for Kaliningrad, Putin paid tribute to the last leader of the Soviet era, who left flowers next to the coffin of Gorbachev at moscow's Central Clinical Hospital, looked at the statue and bowed. It was also the first time Gorbachev's body had been displayed to the public. However, the Kremlin announced on the same day that due to the work schedule, Putin would not attend Gorbachev's funeral scheduled for September 3.
On September 1, before leaving for Kaliningrad, Putin went to the Moscow Central Clinical Hospital to bid farewell to Gorbachev's body. (Screenshot of Russian state television video)
"Putin has arrived!" At about 3 p.m. local time on the 1st, the Russian news agency issued a quick message. After arriving in Kaliningrad, Putin reportedly gave an open class to the winners of the Olympic and cultural, artistic, scientific, sports and other fields, in which he said: "Russia will continue to develop actively." September 1 is Russia's "Knowledge Day", according to the schedule released by the Kremlin website, Putin will also visit museums, theaters and educational complexes in Kaliningrad on the same day, hold working meetings with the governor of Kaliningrad Oblast, and visit a branch of the Nakhimov Naval Academy.
Putin visits the Branch of the Naval Academy of Nakhimov Photo Source: Foreign media
On the day of Putin's arrival, the head of the Lithuanian Railways said the company had received a payment of 2.5 million euros to provide cargo transit services for the Kaliningrad region for three to four weeks. Earlier, according to the Russian "Viewpoint Newspaper", since September 1, the train to Kaliningrad is facing the second suspension this year, this time not only freight trains, but also passenger trains. The reason was that the Bank of Lithuania refused to accept transit payments from the Russian Railways. Previously, Lithuania had also blocked traffic to Kaliningrad on the grounds of "EU sanctions".
"Russia stepped on a shoe on the gates of NATO and the European Union"
The Western media have speculated and hyped up the purpose of Putin's visit to Kaliningrad, with Poland reacting particularly strongly. According to the Polish "Polsat" TV station reported on the 1st, Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Jablonski said on the same day that the government is continuously monitoring Putin's visit and has mastered some "intelligence data that cannot be disclosed.". Kaliningrad is Russia's enclave in Europe, he said, and "Russia stores its weapons in the region to scare the EU and NATO, so such an action can be a symbol." Former Polish ambassador to Russia Cannalenc called Putin's visit not for a "day of knowledge" but to use it to make some "strong, symbolic statements: I think it could be a threat similar to large-scale military force."
"Why is the Russian president present near the Polish border?" The website of the Polish weekly "Straight Talk" predicted that Putin would focus on "praising the patriotic and heroic attitude of Russian soldiers in the Ukrainian war" when he visited Kaliningrad.
According to the Polish News Network, Kaliningrad is a time bomb. This inconspicuous area on the map is actually "a shoe that Russia is stepping on the gates of NATO and the European Union." "This huge barracks between Poland and Lithuania is a potential bomb that can explode at any time and under any pretext. Putin needs Kaliningrad to blackmail the EU and NATO neighbors – nothing more. "Putin's visit to the westernmost part of the country has never aroused such a strong reaction in Poland," the Russian "Independent" analysis said, the recent deployment of Russian MiG-31K fighters equipped with "dagger" hypersonic missiles in Kaliningrad may have caused Poland's concern. In fact, Moscow will not do this, the straight-line distance from Kaliningrad to Warsaw is only 277 kilometers, with the Iskander missile can cover Poland, the Dagger missile has other more distant targets. Warsaw is associated with militarizing Putin's visit to Kaliningrad, "and what they are worried about is the extremely tense relations between Russia and Poland and the Baltic states."
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"At the moment when the president flies to Kaliningrad, we cannot rule out all kinds of provocations from the three Baltic countries, and even Poland." Before Putin left, Mezhevich, president of the Russian Baltic Association, said that a year ago the situation was balanced, and now "the political elites of these countries are going crazy." He said there could be "problems" when the plane passed through the air corridor near the Estonian island of Van der Roo, but believed the Russian Navy and air and space force forces could guarantee the safety of the presidential plane.
At present, due to factors such as geopolitical relations and sanctions, flights from Russia to Kaliningrad can only bypass the international neutral sea and airspace, and the travel time has increased significantly compared with the past.
Kaliningrad is a "potential hot spot"
Last month, russia's defense ministry released a video of a MiG-31 fighter jet of the Russian Air Force landing at the Russian air base in Kaliningrad, saying that three MiG-31 fighters carrying hypersonic missiles had been deployed to the area as part of the "strategic deterrence extra measures." The Associated Press said the move comes at a time of growing tensions between Russia and the West. Kaliningrad's geographical location makes it a front point for Moscow to counter NATO's hostile policies, where the Kremlin is methodically strengthening its military forces. While Putin has yet to publicly attack NATO's plans, he warned that any country that "poses a strategic threat to Russia" in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict will face a "retaliatory strike."
According to a Reuters report on August 31, Zorn, the inspector general of the German Bundeswehr, warned on the same day that Moscow's military strength must not be underestimated. He said Russia had "room to open up a second front" and that "Kaliningrad is a potential hotspot." He said Kaliningrad, located between NATO member Poland and Lithuania, is an enclave of Russia. Russia has threatened to deploy nuclear weapons and hypersonic weapons there if Finland and Sweden join NATO. Zorn added that in addition to the Army, "most of the Russian Navy has not yet been deployed into military operations against Ukraine, and the Russian Air Force still has great potential, which also poses a threat to NATO".
Source: World Wide Web