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Putin Warns West Over Kaliningrad, Admits Ukrainian Strikes Cut Russia's GDP by 1%
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Russian leader Vladimir Putin stated that Moscow will consider using all available weapons, including its nuclear arsenal, if Kaliningrad or any other Russian territory faces a direct attack or blockade.
Speaking at the Valdai Foreign Policy Forum, Putin addressed Western claims of potential Russian aggression by 2029 or 2030, claiming that Moscow has no intent to initiate hostilities against European nations, as reported by BBC on October 1.
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He noted that Ukrainian strikes on domestic energy sites reduced Russia's gross domestic product by approximately 1%.
The statements follow claims from Moscow accusing NATO of planning a blockade of Kaliningrad, the Baltic exclave bordering Lithuania and Poland. Putin pointed to NATO naval drills in the Baltic Sea as a threat to the region's security.
NATO General Secretary Mark Rutte rejected these claims, emphasizing that alliance exercises are purely defensive and calling Moscow's nuclear messaging unhelpful.
Addressing the situation in Ukraine, Putin alleged that Russian strikes against Ukrainian energy and economic targets were direct responses to strikes on Russian oil refineries and Black Sea vessels, according to BBC.
Ukraine maintains that targeting oil infrastructure aims to weaken funding for the military operation. Meanwhile, strikes continue across Ukrainian territory, including drone attacks on critical infrastructure and key transit points.
Putin reiterated his position that broader international instability is driven by Western policies, warning of rising global risks associated with advanced weaponry and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, BBC reported.
He called for updating global international rules, arguing that global tensions will shift as traditional international power dynamics continue to adjust.
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Amid growing security concerns over potential aggression around Kaliningrad, Lithuania designed its future Gizai power substation, located 30 kilometers from the Russian exclave, to withstand physical sabotage and drone strikes, including attacks from multiple explosive-laden Shahed drones.
The 35-hectare facility, which formed part of the Harmony Link project connecting the Baltic power grid to Poland, featured reinforced concrete protective walls, vehicle-proof fencing, and underground tunnel sensors.
Litgrid CEO Andrius Semeskevicius emphasized that the grid was planned for hybrid and military threats following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the Baltic states' disconnection from the Russian electricity system in 2025. Regional security concerns had escalated due to recent infrastructure sabotage in Germany and fears of potential false-flag operations near the Suwalki Gap.
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