Reuters: Russia Threatens Nuclear Weapons in Case of Attempt to Isolate Kaliningrad Region

In the note, Russian authorities called NATO’s course “dangerous and reckless” and said it creates “a high risk of the outbreak of direct armed conflict”.

In the event of such a conflict, the document says, Russia would allow “strikes on decision-making centers” in NATO member states. Moscow also said it would be ready to use “the entire arsenal of forces and means at its disposal, including nuclear weapons”, to defend its territory.

In a written response, which Reuters also reviewed, NATO emphasized its status as a defensive alliance and said that neither exercises nor any other activity by the bloc “pose a threat” to Russian territory. The alliance also called on Russian authorities to end the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, abandon “increasingly reckless behavior” toward bloc countries, and stop “irresponsible nuclear rhetoric”.

One NATO diplomat told Reuters that the Russian letter appears to be an attempt to intimidate European countries, while the alliance’s response shows that NATO does not intend to stop supporting Ukraine. A senior European defense official, whom Reuters does not name, called the warning the first such case since the Cold War.

Over the past three days, Russian embassies in at least three European countries have published statements about escalating tensions due to military exercises and scenarios related to the Kaliningrad Region; Vedomosti named the United Kingdom and Ireland as two of those countries. Vladimir Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov called these messages diplomatic reminders for “hotheads in Europe”.