the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, a new powder keg in Europe?

With its fine sandy beaches, the Kaliningrad region (Russia) offers a postcard landscape. It has become the scene of tensions between Europe and Russia. Russian tourists are now flown over by helicopter gunships, while offshore, Russia is stepping up military maneuvers. Kaliningrad is an enclave planted in the middle of Europe, bordered by Lithuania and Poland, two countries of the European Union and NATO, on which it depends for its supply. A new powder keg? “It’s all up to us. It’s not Europe here! It’s only ours and we won’t give it to anyone“, exclaims Irina Lazarenko, a Russian tourist.

In the streets, tourists are less numerous than usual. Concern is mounting as the borders close. At the Lithuanian border, there is a 4 kilometer queue of trucks. Lithuania has decided not to allow any goods under EU sanctions to pass through. 40 to 50% of Kaliningrad’s supply would be affected, according to the Russians. A disaster for Igor Plechkov, an entrepreneur who owns a concrete factory. However, he does not reproach the Lithuanians. “If our country has unfortunately violated all the rules, all the international laws, could we have expected another response from our neighbors?“, he asks.

The only solution for the transit of goods is to take the sea from Saint Petersburg (Russia), but it is longer and more expensive. For its part, Russia, which “denounces an illegal blockade“, threatened “retaliatory measures“, reports journalist Luc Lacroix.