NATO forces are conducting military exercises in the Baltic Sea that, according to retired Captain First Rank Vasily Dandykin, appear aimed at rehearsing a potential blockade of Russia’s Kaliningrad Region and the approaches to Saint Petersburg.

Dandykin noted that the alliance’s maneuvers consistently focus on cutting off access to Kaliningrad — a territory that, in his words, continues to «trouble» the West. He warned that such operations could also be used to seal off maritime routes from Saint Petersburg, drawing a historical parallel to the German naval actions during World War II. The expert added that Finland, in particular, could mine nearby waters as part of this scenario.

He stressed that any attempt to impose a blockade on Russian regions would amount to a de facto declaration of war. Western powers, he cautioned, should not assume such measures would come without serious consequences.

Dandykin also commented on the recent detection of 18,000 signals from so-called «ghost ships» in the Baltic Sea-vessels that appeared far from coastal zones. In his view, this pattern may point to covert movements of military ships, including submarines, possibly redeployed from Portugal and Spain.