NATO admits Sweden, Russia's `strategic fortress` into its sights? 0
(Dan Tri) – Sweden joining NATO is expected to strengthen the alliance’s ability to deal with Moscow as well as put important Russian cities in its sights.
Aircraft from foreign militaries in formation on the US Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge during an exercise in the Baltic Sea in 2022 (Photo: Getty).
In the context of Sweden completing steps to join NATO, Russia received a tough warning.
Lithuanian Ambassador to Sweden Linas Linkevicius warned that Western countries will `neutralize` Russia’s westernmost Kaliningrad region if Moscow poses a serious danger to NATO’s security.
Lithuanian officials, a NATO member country, announced that the Baltic Sea has become NATO’s sea after Sweden overcame all barriers to joining the military alliance.
Kaliningrad is a territory of great importance because it is considered Russia’s `unsinkable aircraft carrier` in the heart of NATO.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova rejected the Lithuanian Ambassador’s comments and described this as an `information war`.
Experts say that, with Sweden now officially accepted as a member of NATO, important Russian cities and military assets are within closer strike range of the US-led military alliance.
NATO planners have long viewed the alliance’s northeastern flank, the Baltic states of Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia, as a weak spot.
In documents leaked in January, German military experts outlined a scenario in which Russia would defeat Ukraine and then attack NATO member states in the Baltic region.
Suwalki Corridor Location (Photo: Oxford Analytica).
Kaliningrad borders the 60km long Suwalki corridor, connecting Poland with the Baltic countries.
The documents say Russia could stir up unrest and then move troops into the Suwalki corridor, which connects the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea with Belarus, a close ally of Moscow.
The move would separate NATO members in the Baltic region from the rest of Europe, leaving them exposed to further Russian attacks.
However, admitting Sweden will give the NATO alliance new and powerful ways to prevent Russia from attacking the Baltic region.
Nima Khorrami, an analyst at the Arctic Institute, said that Swedish membership would `expand NATO’s missile range, bringing strategic sites in Kaliningrad and St. Petersburg into view.`
`This adds an additional layer of deterrence against a potential Russian attack, as NATO forces can respond effectively to threats in real time,` Khorrami said.
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With Finland and Sweden joining NATO, the Gulf of Finland area will become a bottleneck if a conflict scenario occurs.
Sweden is located near the Kaliningrad region of Russia (Photo: TRT).
Meanwhile, Kaliningrad expands Russia’s ability to project power into the Baltic region, including air defense systems, electronic warfare units to control GPS systems, cruise missiles…
The region is likely to play a key role in any Russian efforts to attack the Suwalki corridor and the Baltic states.
`Weakening Russian assets is very important for NATO operations in the region. It especially requires the focus of Russian air defense systems,` Oscar Jonsson, researcher at the University of
`Sweden plays an important role in safely hosting NATO troops and capabilities, while being difficult to target by Russian forces, and being close enough to Kaliningrad to deploy long-range precision weapons
A Lithuanian intelligence report released this week said Russia is responding to NATO’s new and expanded presence in the Baltic region by massively expanding Moscow’s military presence in the region.
In a decades-long restructuring effort, Russia will strengthen its military forces in the region and place nuclear-capable Iskander missiles in Belarus.
In recent years, Russia has modernized and strengthened its forces in Kaliningrad.
`Kaliningrad is like a fortress on the Baltic Sea, with lots of cruise missiles and other weapons, so it’s a threat,` said Steven Wills, a researcher with the Center for Naval Analyses.
Kaliningrad’s strategic location makes it a threat to NATO and also a weakness for Russia, said expert Dmitry Gorenburg.
Russia has long accused NATO of trying to encircle the country.
However, with Sweden becoming the newest member of the NATO alliance, Russia may have put its forces at a serious disadvantage in a key area.
`Russia’s previous false accusations that the country is surrounded by NATO are now becoming a reality,` Lithuanian Ambassador to Sweden Linas Linkevicius said.
