According to a report on the 25th, shortly after NATO held the largest military exercise since the end of the Cold War, Putin suddenly visited the Russian enclave - Kaliningrad.
At this somewhat sensitive moment, going to a sensitive place, Putin's movements have attracted the attention of the outside world, what signals did he release during this trip?
(Putin's raid on Kaliningrad sparked speculation)
Although the Kremlin spokesman claimed that Putin's visit was a routine visit to Kaliningrad and not a "signal" to NATO, for NATO, the absence of a "signal" may be the biggest "signal".
The reason why I say this is because the point where Putin set off and the place he went to are too directive.
Let's talk about the time of departure first, there are three key nodes: "NATO held the largest military exercise since the Cold War, the 2nd anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and the 75th anniversary of the founding of NATO." ”
Connecting these three key nodes is that on the 75th anniversary of the founding of NATO, in order to show the unity between member states, 90,000 soldiers were dispatched to "flex their muscles" to cheer up Ukraine and deter Russia.
Looking at these three key nodes, any one of them alone means a threat to Russia, which shows how much pressure it has.
It is precisely because NATO has a clear direction that any action by Putin at this moment may trigger conjecture among NATO countries. Therefore, for NATO, which is holding military exercises, the timing of Putin's departure is indeed a bit unclear.
(Kaliningrad, surrounded by NATO countries)
Speaking of the location of the trip, Kaliningrad, it can be clearly seen from the map, the surrounding area is surrounded by NATO countries, not to mention, the NATO military exercise is nearby, Putin went to Kaliningrad at this point in time, even if the explanation is to visit, there is no other purpose, but in the eyes of NATO member states, it is full of intentions.
Although Kaliningrad is far from the Russian mainland, it has become a bridgehead of Russia's European strategy because of its proximity to the heart of Europe, and Russia will plan its layout in Kaliningrad from time to time according to changes in the situation.
Previously, in order to counter NATO's joint military exercises, Russia also held military exercises in Kaliningrad, dispatching artillery, reconnaissance, mechanized infantry, marines and airborne troops, etc., it is worth noting that in order to improve deterrence, Russia also launched "Iskander" missiles, which is also in response to the United States' deployment of anti-missile defense systems in Eastern Europe.
The Iskander missile has a range of up to 480 kilometers, and it is easy to increase its range, can carry conventional nuclear warheads, flies fast, and is difficult to intercept, and is considered by the West to be one of Russia's most deterrent weapons.
Moreover, judging from the range of this missile, it can cover the entire territory of the three Baltic countries, and the missile with an extended range can even hit the entire Western Europe, which can be said to fully demonstrate Russia's strategic intentions.
It is worth noting that after the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Kaliningrad seems to have become an "island" hanging outside, especially in the face of the oppression of NATO military exercises, the pressure is even greater, and Putin's work visit can also reassure the people and boost morale.
(Russia held the "Iskander" missile exercise, data map)
Some analysts believe that the ultimate intention of NATO's large-scale military exercises is to persuade the people of the European Union to continue to support Ukraine and oppose Russia at the same time, as Macron said a few days ago, Russia cannot be allowed to win.
However, in the final analysis, the NATO countries will definitely take action to fight back, and they have all bullied them to their doorstep, and Russia will certainly not give up.
So the question is, how should Russia, which is involved in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and lags behind NATO in terms of conventional military strength, respond to the provocation of NATO, which has more than 3 million troops?
In order to counter the provocations of NATO countries, Russia may play three cards:
The first card: nuclear weapons. The Russian Defense Minister has said that in order to counter NATO's military exercises, Russia will not rule out the use of nuclear weapons at the necessary moment.
The card of nuclear weapons has the greatest deterrent effect on NATO, but unless it is driven to a dead end, Russia will not use it easily, and there are too many variables.
(NATO's joint military exercises, data map)
The second card: the military exercise card. In fact, in the past few years, Russia's response to NATO's military exercises has been to "show its sword" in time and return to Israeli military exercises. However, at present, Russia is deeply involved in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and the war has been fought for almost two years, and the consumption is very large, and it may not be possible to hold large-scale military exercises.
However, in response to NATO's frequent military exercises, Russia previously elected a military expansion plan and planned a long-term confrontation with NATO.