Russia sends nuclear warning to NATO

Russia has warned NATO it would be ready to resort to nuclear weapons if the Western alliance attempted ​to cut off Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave that borders the Baltic Sea. In a document sent to NATO and seen by Reuters, Moscow accused the alliance of ‌a “dangerous and reckless course” that entailed “high risks of the outbreak of a direct armed conflict”. The document said this included the possibility of “Russian strikes against decision-making centers in the alliance’s member states right from the outset”. “Russia will be ready to use the entire arsenal of forces and capabilities at its disposal, including nuclear weapons, in order to defend its territory should NATO countries undertake any attempt aimed at isolating the Kaliningrad Region from the ​rest of the country,” the diplomatic note said.

The warning highlighted Moscow’s urgent concern at what it has presented as a growing NATO threat to Kaliningrad, a heavily militarised ​Russian territory that is wedged between Poland and Lithuania and is slightly bigger than the US state of Connecticut. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, ⁠in a commentary on the ministry’s website, cited statements by dignitaries from NATO states which she said demonstrated “Russophobia” and a readiness to wage war with Moscow. These figures, Zakharova wrote, “need to be ​brought back down to earth. We hope that our warnings will be heard by those to whom they are addressed. If Europe attacks Russia, it will be a completely different sort of war – ​a very short war.”

Nikolai Sokov, a Vienna-based nuclear analyst and former Russian diplomat, said it was becoming increasingly hard for Western countries to keep stepping up their support for Ukraine without tipping into direct confrontation with Moscow. He said the Russian warning may indicate that hardliners are gaining influence in a debate over how to respond to Western actions that include arms supplies to Kyiv, new sanctions on Moscow, interceptions of Russian ships, frequent military exercises and intelligence flights near Kaliningrad. A senior European defence official said: “(This is the) first time since (the) Cold War that Russia is threatening us like ​this. So this is serious.”