Kaliningrad

They're in a tricky position because they're in what's called the Swolki Gap.

That's the border with Poland, with Kaliningrad, which is a Russian-occupied exclave on one side and Belarus on the other.

It's an area where there's a risk that if Russia chooses to escalate, that might be an area we would do it.

Ash, thank you very much indeed.

To put it bluntly, these three nations tend to freak out quite often any time Russia sneezes in their direction simply due to geography.

If Russia is to launch a Cold War-style ground invasion of Europe, she will probably do so via the Sovolki Gap, separating Kaliningrad from mainland Russia.

As a result of this extreme closeness to Russia, NATO tends to rather unceremoniously treat these nations as a speed bump for Russian tanks, which is intended to buy NATO some time to activate their true defensive line, which is mostly in Poland.

Nearly all serious land-based defenses are in Poland and Germany and have been for a long time.

Right now, there are no major Russian troop movements within the border regions and there is no threat whatsoever of a ground defensive through Lithuania.

Mysterious drone sightings continue to plague European airports and probably will remain constant for some time.

Drone flights through Lithuanian airspace to Kaliningrad are probably going to increase over the next few weeks as well.

which will impact commercial aviation, mostly in the form of aircraft being grounded during the incursions and drone sightings.

And there's nothing like rallying the nation when you've got a distinct enemy to attack.

Yes, there is that point, there is that rather bizarre enclave, isn't there, near the Baltics, I've forgotten what it's called, it was German, but now it's Konigsberg.

That's it, that's exactly.

Now, that I think is somewhat of a weak point for Russia, because I don't know what its resources are like, but it's got that strange piece of land that, let's just say, could become a bargaining point.

End of story.

Robert, thank you very much indeed.

Somebody here says it's Kaliningrad, not Konigsberg.

I stand corrected.

There has been concern in Poland that a far-right German government would revive old territorial claims against its neighbor.

After World War II, Germany lost large chunks of its territory that once stretched as far east as Kaliningrad, now part of Russia.

More than 12 million Germans were expelled from Eastern Europe.

Germany formally renounced these lands upon reunification in 1990, but some AFD leaders have tapped into the loss felt by some expellees.

There has been concern in Poland that a far-right German government would revive old territorial claims against its neighbor.

After World War II, Germany lost large chunks of its territory that once stretched as far east as Kaliningrad, now part of Russia.

More than 12 million Germans were expelled from Eastern Europe.

Germany formally renounced these lands upon reunification in 1990, but some AFD leaders have tapped into the loss felt by some expellees.

Anyone with two brain cells to rub together must be pinching themselves and wondering if this is all real.

European politicians appear ready, either at Kaliningrad, making a strike through the Suwalki Gap, or through the Baltics, or through Finland, actually declaring war on the Russian Federation.

The Russian Federation might beat them to it, because actually the European Union is already at war with the Russian Federation.

And if you didn't believe that, well you obviously weren't in Moscow overnight, where the largest attack of the war on the Russian heartland, on the Russian capital, was launched by nato using the name ukraine but of course these missiles are all supplied by nato states they are piloted metaphorically speaking by nato states the material and the expertise is all provided by nato states so i mean vladimir putin is a patient kind of guy but You would have to have the patience of a saint to continue to tolerate such massive attacks on your capital city from European adversaries in a war that they haven't had the guts to declare.