Military expert Yury Knutov says NATO countries are seeking to impose a full blockade on Saint Petersburg in an effort to cut Russia off from the sea.

In his view, such a scenario would echo the situation during the Second World War, when Leningrad was blockaded from the Finnish side and from the Baltic Sea. Knutov argues that the alliance now treats the Baltic as its internal sea, with only two Russian ports standing outside that logic: Saint Petersburg and Kaliningrad.

Speaking about the Kaliningrad region, he suggested that the West could try to establish control over the territory. He linked that assumption to the fact that what he described as the most combat-capable Russian forces are currently engaged in the conflict in Ukraine.

Knutov also said that a blockade of Saint Petersburg would mean Russia could no longer use its ports there and would face restrictions on access to both the Baltic Sea and the ocean routes beyond it.

He further claimed that the Finnish authorities are considering plans to seize Karelia. In his assessment, that would recreate the same strategic configuration that existed during the Second World War, when Leningrad was cut off from both Finland and the Baltic Sea.

According to Knutov, the first impact of any such blockade would be felt in Saint Petersburg’s economy. At the same time, he said the city would still remain connected to the rest of Russian territory.