Russia relocates three warplanes to Kaliningrad near Lithuania

The Russian army has relocated three warplanes equipped with nuclear-capable hypersonic missiles to its exclave of Kaliningrad on the coast of the Baltic Sea, with the goal of being on “round-the-clock combat duty,” according to Russia’s Defense Ministry.

The defense ministry announced the new plan in a statement on Thursday and said “three Mig-31 aircraft with Kinzhal hypersonic missiles were relocated to the Chkalovsk airfield in the Kaliningrad region.”

President Vladimir Putin says Kinzhal missile is “an ideal weapon.” It flies at 10 times the speed of sound, making it extremely difficult to be intercepted by the missile defense systems.

The city of Kaliningrad, which fully belongs to Russia, is located between the EU and NATO members of Lithuania and Poland. The two countries have taken sides with Kiev in the war in Ukraine.

Russia has been in a dispute with Lithuania since Vilnius banned the rail transit of sanctioned goods from mainland Russia to Kaliningrad, despite an EU order to allow the transit of cargo with the exception of weapons.

Kaliningrad was separated from the Russian mainland following the break-up of the Soviet Union when Lithuania received its independency status in 1990.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry has said Moscow would use its nuclear arsenal only in “emergency circumstances” and solely as a “response” measure.

Speaking at a briefing on Thursday, foreign ministry spokesman Ivan Nechaev said, “Russian military doctrine allows a nuclear response only in response to the threat of mass destruction, or when the very existence of the state is threatened.”

“That is, the use of a nuclear arsenal is possible only as part of a response to an attack in self-defense and only in emergencies,” he said, adding that Moscow has no intention of being involved in a direct confrontation with NATO or the United States.

Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu had previously depicted as “absolute lies” media speculations on Moscow’s intention of deploying nuclear weapons.

MG