Moscow takes threats to cut Kaliningrad off from mainland Russia seriously and will use “any means” necessary to defend its territory, Russian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the OSCE Dmitry Polyanskiy told RT on Friday.
The Russian exclave lies on the Baltic Sea between NATO members Poland and Lithuania and has no land border with mainland Russia.
“Some countries like the Baltic states and Poland claim that Kaliningrad should be cut off from the rest of Russian territory, that the Baltic Sea should be made an internal sea of NATO,” Polyanskiy told RT.
The only way for Moscow to respond to such rhetoric is “to prepare ourselves for the worst case scenario,” he said.
“Kaliningrad is an exclave, so from a military point of view it’s very vulnerable and we have to keep certain resources there to make it viable… It’s also in a very hostile environment,” the diplomat added.
If Kaliningrad or any other Russian region comes under attack, “our adversaries know the protocol,” Polyanskiy warned.
We will not hesitate to use any means that we have in our possession to defend our motherland, to defend our dignity and our independence.
While Polyanskiy stressed that Moscow does not seek a conflict with NATO, he warned European officials against escalating tensions with Russia.
“There are a lot of personalities in Europe – especially the EU – who are making very provocative statements vis-à-vis Russia,” he said. Such officials are playing “a very dangerous game” by portraying Russia as a “threat” and “the only foe of European civilization,” he stated.
Watch the full interview below: