Putin Draws Red Line Over Kaliningrad, Warns of Nuclear Response
Kremlin says direct attack on Russian territory would trigger a major escalation
MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned the West that Moscow could use “all weapons” in its arsenal, including nuclear weapons, if Russia’s Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad comes under direct attack.
Speaking at the Valdai Discussion Club in Moscow on Thursday, Putin said Russia had no intention of attacking European countries but would respond to what he described as Western aggression against Russian territory.
Kaliningrad, a strategically important Russian territory located between NATO members Poland and Lithuania, has become a growing point of tension amid the war in Ukraine and heightened military activity in the Baltic region.
Putin said recent NATO exercises in the Baltic Sea, along with what he described as attempts to detain Russian ships and statements concerning Kaliningrad, represented an escalation.
“The drills in the Baltic Sea, following one another … Then the attempts to arrest our ships and vessels. All this is an escalation,” Putin said.
“If it comes to direct attack against the Russian Federation, in this case on Kaliningrad and possibly some other territories, of course the issue of using all weapons in our country’s arsenal will inevitably and unavoidably emerge on the agenda. This is unavoidable,” he added.
NATO and several European governments have accused Russia of pursuing hybrid warfare against Western countries through cyberattacks, sabotage and espionage, allegations Moscow has rejected. NATO has described its military exercises in the region as defensive measures intended to strengthen deterrence.
The latest warning comes as the war in Ukraine enters its fifth year, with no indication that Moscow is preparing to halt its military campaign. Russia has intensified strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure and Kyiv, while Ukraine has increasingly used drones to target facilities deep inside Russian territory.
Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries have disrupted fuel supplies in parts of the country, with long queues reported at petrol stations in some major cities. The attacks have also added pressure to Russia’s wartime economy.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has described such long-range drone attacks as “long-range sanctions”, arguing that they are aimed at reducing Russian revenues and military capabilities and pushing Moscow toward negotiations.
Putin acknowledged on Thursday that Ukrainian attacks had caused economic damage, saying Russia had lost about 1% of its gross domestic product as a result of strikes on oil refineries.
He also said Ukrainian military operations in the Black Sea had damaged or destroyed more than 100 Russian ships.
“In the Black Sea — that’s a combat zone; we struck military vessels and ships transporting military cargo,” Putin said. “They [Ukraine] have knocked out over 100 of our ships. Well, we started hitting back.”
Discussing the refinery attacks, Putin said Ukraine had openly acknowledged its intention to damage the Russian economy.
“Did they succeed? Partially — by our estimates, we lost about one percent of our GDP,” he said, adding that Russia had responded with what he called a “mirror-image” response.
Putin’s comments came a day after he told newly elected members of Russia’s State Duma that the country’s economy remained stable. The ruling United Russia party retained its parliamentary majority in the election.
He also criticized Ukraine’s dependence on financial support from Western allies, saying Russia did not need similar assistance.
“Russia’s financial system and economy are secure,” Putin told lawmakers.
Despite his warnings that Moscow would continue its military campaign, Putin has also said he would prefer the conflict to end through negotiations.
A poll by the independent Levada Center in August found that 59% of Russians supported moving toward peace talks, although Putin has continued to signal that Russia is not prepared to abandon its military objectives.
Meanwhile, Russian budget documents reviewed by Reuters indicate that Moscow plans to allocate 17.1 trillion roubles ($205.1 billion) for defence in 2027. The proposed amount is around 27% higher than the original budget allocation and would represent the highest annual defence spending level since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
