Vladimir Putin warned. In a speech at the Valdai policy forum, the Russian president said that should Moscow’s sole exclave of Kaliningrad face a direct attack, Russia would answer with every weapon at its disposal, including nuclear arms.
Putin’s remarks came against a backdrop of growing NATO naval manoeuvres in the Baltic Sea and accusations that the alliance intends to blockade the region. He described the manoeuvres as “serious threats” to the small protected strip of Russian territory that borders Poland and Lithuania.
The Russian leader insisted that his country is not threatening anyone and is merely responding to Western statements that suggest Moscow is “preparing for war” in 2029 or 2030. He called the West a “rigged power” that forces Russia to defend itself.
Hybrid warfare incidents have intensified in recent months. One month ago, Poland reported a Russian helicopter intruding into its airspace near Kaliningrad, while Lithuania said its citizens felt threatened by drones entering its territory.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned that Germany was preparing for further hybrid attacks, after an explosive‑armed drone was found on the tarmac at Leipzig airport in August.
Putin also noted that Ukraine’s strikes on Russian oil refineries have induced a “one‑percent” GDP loss for Moscow. He criticised NATO’s “humanitarian defence” rhetoric, calling the alliance’s exercises “not a threat” for Russia but a “harbour of hostility”.
In his longer address, President Putin framed the future geopolitical landscape as one in which “Western hegemony” will wane, paradoxically creating “more opportunities” for conflict. He highlighted the exceptional scale of Russia’s arsenal, concluding that if the West remains a nuclear threat, the East’s arsenal is “unparalleled” and that “no one can be sure it will never be used.”
He called for a rewrite of warfare rules, warning that digitalisation and artificial intelligence can bring the world “back to barbarity.” Putin urged that if the gun remains on the stage of the theatre, it will ultimately fire; a warning to the world that a new kind of conflict could erupt from any battleground.
The speech signals escalating tensions that could reshape security calculations around the Baltic and beyond, while underscoring Russia’s readiness to use the full spectrum of its armaments to protect Kaliningrad.
