Russia could split NATO’s defenses by launching an offensive from the enclave of Kaliningrad near Poland, the commander of U.S. Army Europe warned this week.
The Soviet Union annexed Kaliningrad—a territory sandwiched between Poland to the south and Lithuania to the east—after World War II. It has continued to be of great strategic importance for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who deployed short-range, nuclear-capable Iskander ballistic missiles there in 2013 to counter European missile defenses.
Russian military activity in the region has captured the attention of Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, commander of U.S. Army Europe, Military.com reports:
Hodges pointed to the “Suwalki gap,” a …read more
Source: The Washington Free Beacon