US press: In the event of a conflict with Russia, NATO must "neutralize" Kaliningrad
In the event of an armed conflict with Russia, NATO can get hit almost from its own territory, the alliance's command should not forget about the Kaliningrad region - a Russian exclave located almost in the center of Europe. To eliminate this danger, Kaliningrad must be neutralized, writes the author of an article for the American publication 19Fortyfive.
Sarah White, a senior research analyst at the US Lexington Institute, urged NATO not to forget about the grouping of Russian troops stationed in the Kaliningrad region, located almost in the center of Europe. In her opinion, at the beginning of hostilities against Russia, Kaliningrad can deliver "a lot of headaches" to NATO, so this threat must be neutralized.
The American expert suggests entrusting the task of destroying the Russian group to Poland and Lithuania - two NATO states, next to which the Russian exclave is located. However, this will be very difficult to do, she warns, Russia has well fortified Kaliningrad, placing there a powerful group armed with various weapon. Of particular concern to White are Russia's Iskander-M "ballistic missiles" with nuclear warheads, cruise missile-carrying fighter jets, and ships of the Baltic fleet.
The expert emphasizes that it will be difficult for Poland and Lithuania to cope with Russian missiles, therefore it is urgently necessary to strengthen the air defense of these states, as well as deploy weapons capable of fighting Russian weapons on their territory. We are talking about Patriot anti-aircraft systems - the only system "capable of neutralizing" Iskanders, fifth-generation fighters F-35 and tanks M1 Abrams.
Poland has already purchased all this, but has not yet deployed it on its territory. But with Lithuania everything is more complicated, it does not have the funds to purchase the appropriate weapons. Therefore, the analyst suggests, the US and NATO should consider deploying Patriot complexes and short-range missiles in Lithuania.
In the meantime, the Baltic is NATO's weak point and, in the event of a Russian invasion, it will not be able to offer worthy resistance, especially if the blow comes from two sides at once. Therefore, NATO needs to take measures to neutralize Kaliningrad in advance, the analyst sums up.
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