Kaliningrad Oblast

Yesterday, their mood did not improve.

Early afternoon, a Russian Su-30SM fighter crashed in Kaliningrad Oblast.

Both pilots ejected and were hospitalised with injuries, we are told.

But later yesterday evening, it was reported a second Su-30SM had been lost.

Soviet recapture slash liberation of Kyiv in November 1943.

She joined the war, war effort, ended the war in Königsberg, not Kaliningrad, Russia.

So just being around her and she didn't speak much English, but just being in such close proximity to, I mean, she was very agile and mobile, but a piece of living history, if you will.

um, uh, was, was a real special thing for me.

He landed at Tempelhof Aerodrome refueled, ate a quick meal, slept a few hours, and was back in the air.

From Berlin East to Königsberg, which is now Kaliningrad, from there to Moscow, from Moscow to Novosibirsk in Western Siberia.

Now here is where the flight gets serious.

Siberia in July is not what most people picture.

I certainly think the, the Poles and the Germans, who are already putting troops in the Balkans, would continue to do that and do more of that.

I think Mr. Putin thinks that, because he said about two weeks ago that any security violations or threats against, uh, their, their, uh, their exclave, Ka- Kaliningrad, that any of those...

And Kaliningrad is a si- a single city, uh, that was a Russian, uh, a gift to the Russians at the end of the Second World War.

It's between Poland and Lithuania.

There is about 90 miles from Belarus separating the city and the Baltic Sea, uh, that Poland, Polish troops would have to cross to get into the rest of, uh, into, into Lithuania to support that.

Another problem is that we have adversities from both sides.

From, from east, it's, it's Russian ally Belarus, and in the west, we have a Kaliningrad Oblast, where we have this kind of Russian enclave with huge military forces over there.

So, so, so two directional, yeah, or threats from two, both directions.

Uh, so, so this is a challenge for us.

Хрущевки, не очень красивые дома, все как обычно.

А вот область Калининградская, маленькие городки, которые, эээ, вокруг города, вокруг основного города на побережье.

Совершенно удивительное ощущение.

Очень чисто, очень качественные трассы, очень красивые домики, архитектура, улочки, м, зеленые насаждения, парки, эээ, пляжи.

The plan and its publication has two functions.

Militarily, it aims to destroy Russian command and control and to neutralize Kaliningrad exclave early.

The U.S. Army's eastern flank deterrence line is a concept that is the clearest version of it, and NATO's commander in Europe, General Grinkovich, is planning to present it in Poland next week.

The fact that the plan itself is published functions both as deterrence and as a reassurance.

The Kremlin has said it will aim its nuclear weapons at Lithuania if it allows warheads on its territory.

The Baltic nation borders Russia's Kaliningrad exclave and Russian ally Belarus, both of which are believed to be hosting nuclear weapons.

Now, this vote comes a day after US President Donald Trump said he was open to having a permanent US military base in Lithuania.

Speaking exclusively to DW, the Lithuanian prime minister welcomed that idea.

Well, it comes from the Lithuanian assessment of its security, I feel.

The situation where you have actually two different borders with Russia.

One is with Russia's ally Belarus, another one with Russia proper in Kaliningrad region, calls for a kind of enhanced security.

to security and in this respect the scrapping of the article 137 of the Lithuanian constitution which prohibited the deployment of nuclear weapons is essentially if you wish, a warning shot to Moscow, saying that Lithuania is prepared to be even more integrated into the NATO collective defence structure than it was before.

So okay, that's the backdrop of what's going on with this potential talk about restoring Nord Stream.

Lithuania has now deployed around 100 troops to reinforce its border with Russia's Kaliningrad exclave, supporting border guards after concerns over an illegal migrant incursion across the Latvia-Belarus border.

Talked about that just yesterday.

Uh, and 100 troops for little Lithuania.