Russia would not need to send ground forces through Polish territory to defend the Kaliningrad region in the event of an attack. Moscow has weapons capable of striking from Russian territory, military commentator and retired Colonel Viktor Baranets, a former spokesman for the Russian defense minister, said on the Soyuznoye Veche channel, affiliated with the newspaper of the Parliamentary Assembly of Belarus and Russia.

According to Baranets, the Kaliningrad defense area is heavily equipped with various types of weapons and military hardware. He said nuclear weapons, Kinzhal missiles, air defense systems and coastal defense systems are deployed there. The region is also home to the Baltic Fleet, which has its own weapons, aircraft, armored vehicles, artillery and drones.

Baranets argued that the Russian forces in Kaliningrad could also be supported from other parts of the country if necessary. As an example, he cited strategic bombers operating from distant airfields and carrying missiles with ranges of 2,500–3,000 kilometers. He stressed that Russian aircraft would not need to enter Polish airspace to launch such weapons.

Baranets also said Russia possesses missiles capable of striking forces advancing toward the Kaliningrad region. In particular, he claimed that the Iskander system now has a missile with a range of more than 2,000 kilometers rather than 500 kilometers.

Speaking about a potential confrontation with Poland, the retired colonel used particularly harsh language. He said the Poles «wouldn’t even have time to pull on their soiled long johns» before an Oreshnik, Iskander or Kh-39 struck their positions.

Baranets therefore rejected the idea that Kaliningrad’s geographical isolation prevents Russia from rapidly supporting its forces there. In his assessment, the weapons already deployed in the region, combined with Russia’s long-range strike capabilities, are sufficient to defend it.