NATO has no plans to blockade Russia’s Kaliningrad region or cut off its transport and maritime routes, according to Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, chairman of the alliance’s Military Committee.

Speaking to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, Cavo Dragone dismissed claims that NATO was preparing to restrict access to the Russian exclave. He insisted that concerns about a possible blockade were based on a scenario that does not exist and that the alliance was making no preparations for such an operation.

The Italian admiral also sought to reassure the public that NATO was not seeking a direct military confrontation with Russia. At the same time, he emphasized that the alliance’s combined forces possess sufficient military capabilities and weapons to maintain deterrence.

Cavo Dragone described the situation on NATO’s eastern flank as serious but under control.

His statements came against the backdrop of a firm warning previously issued by Russian President Vladimir Putin concerning any potential attack on Russian territory, including Kaliningrad.

During the plenary session of the Valdai International Discussion Club on October 1, Putin outlined the consequences of a direct military assault against Russia or its Kaliningrad region.

The Russian president warned that such an attack would immediately and inevitably raise the question of deploying every weapon available to the Russian Federation.

Putin stressed that consideration of Russia’s entire military arsenal would be unavoidable in the event of direct aggression against the country or Kaliningrad.