Russia’s embassy in Belgium has warned NATO that any attempt by alliance members to blockade or isolate the Kaliningrad region could raise the risk of a direct armed confrontation. The embassy said Moscow was prepared to use weapons to defend what it considers its territory.

The statement was reported by TASS on September 28, citing a comment from the Russian diplomatic mission responsible for contacts with NATO. Russian diplomats said Russia had the necessary means to repel possible aggression and would deploy the forces and weapons it considered necessary if NATO countries tried to cut Kaliningrad off from the rest of Russia.

Moscow’s warning

“We have stressed that Russia has the necessary means to repel possible aggression and is ready to use its entire arsenal of weapons at its disposal to defend its territory,” the embassy said, according to the statement carried by TASS. It called on NATO countries to refrain from further statements and actions that could escalate tensions and contribute to a wider confrontation.

The embassy described NATO’s approach toward Kaliningrad as irresponsible and accused the alliance’s leadership and member states of pursuing what it called an aggressive policy. Russian diplomats also referred to NATO’s course as adventurous and irresponsible, saying it was significantly increasing the risk of a direct military clash with Russia.

Dispute over military activity

Kaliningrad is a Russian exclave situated between Poland and Lithuania and separated from Russia’s main territory by other countries. Its geographic position has made the region a recurring focus of security discussions involving Moscow and NATO.

In its statement, the Russian mission alleged an unprecedented increase in NATO military activity near Russia’s western borders. It referred to large-scale exercises and what it described as rehearsals of offensive operations. The embassy also alleged that NATO was creating new threats to the Russian navy in the Baltic region, simulating scenarios for separating Kaliningrad from Russia and preparing plans for the military and political isolation of Russia’s northwestern ports.

Those allegations were presented by the Russian side and were not independently verified in the supplied reports. No substantive NATO response was included in the material available for this report.

Claims over a possible Baltic attack

Russian diplomats also objected to what they described as a sharp escalation in rhetoric about NATO’s ability to strike military facilities in Kaliningrad. They said such statements were intended to increase confrontation.

The embassy rejected references to a “Russian danger” and claims that Moscow could attack one of the Baltic states by 2029, or possibly earlier, calling such information false. The supplied reports do not provide the underlying NATO assessments or an independent evaluation of that claim.