If a war starts, Russia might make an attempt to lay a corridor from Kaliningrad region to Belarus through a Baltic state, Lithuanian experts told DELFI.
“We pay very much attention to a threat of a hybrid war. Russia is a country which follows no particular pattern. The fact that it started a hybrid war in Ukraine does not mean that it will do the same in the Baltic states. Maybe there will be no war; they might use different methods to destroy the EU and NATO,” Marius Laurinavičius, an expert at Eastern Europe Studies Centre, said. He believes Lithuania may become a transit corridor in the event of war.
Aleksandras Matonis, a military expert, specifies that this corridor might connect Kaliningrad region with Belarus. Such scenario was exercised during Russo-Belarusian military game ‘West’.
“Kaliningrad region is a highly militarised area where lots of social problems exist. There is steep unemployment because the region is separated from Russia and the labour market is isolated. Due to the factors mentioned the region is a hazard [to Lithuania’s security – Belsat]. We know that a majority of its military ranges are located close to the border with Lithuania,” Mr Matonis stressed.
