Key facts
- Russia would use nuclear weapons if NATO countries attempt to isolate Kaliningrad.
- Russia's Embassy in Ireland issued the warning on September 30.
- Russia's Embassy in the U.K. made a similar statement on September 29.
- Kaliningrad Oblast is a Russian exclave located between Poland and Lithuania.
- Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that if the West attacks Russia, Moscow would respond with 'a completely different war and a very brief one.'
Russia has issued a stark warning that it would be prepared to use nuclear weapons if NATO countries attempt to isolate the Kaliningrad exclave. The statement from Russia's Embassy in Ireland, published on September 30, comes amid escalating nuclear rhetoric directed at Europe and concerns over potential military actions against the Russian territory on the Baltic Sea.
A similar warning was issued by Russia's Embassy in the U.K. on September 29, stating that any military action against Russian territory could prompt a nuclear response. The Irish embassy claimed that the European Union and NATO are increasing military activity along Russia's western border and cited unverified reports of a potential air and naval blockade of Kaliningrad Oblast. Kaliningrad is a Russian exclave situated between NATO members Poland and Lithuania, separated from mainland Russia by Lithuanian territory.