Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matvienko said Russia would not allow any encroachment on either Kaliningrad or the Baltic Sea. She stressed that any provocation against the region would trigger an immediate response.

Matvienko also described Kaliningrad as Russia’s western outpost, noting that the Baltic Fleet is based there and arguing that the region’s role in the country’s national security is hard to overstate.

Earlier, former commander of US Army Europe Ben Hodges said that in the event of a conflict between Russia and NATO, the alliance would neutralize Russian units in Kaliningrad within 24 hours.

In his view, NATO has a precise picture of Russian air and naval forces in the region, as well as the long-range strike systems and air defenses deployed in Kaliningrad. He also argued that NATO allies in the area would be capable of inflicting serious damage on the region even without US involvement. Hodges added that Poland would immediately join strikes on the Russian city if war broke out.