American researcher Stephen Starr called threats to blockade Kaliningrad “absurd”

Starr's statement

An attempt by Western countries to establish a military blockade of Kaliningrad could lead to the rapid destruction of the forces involved in the operation. This opinion was expressed by American researcher Stephen Starr on a YouTube channel, as reported by Life.ru. According to him, Western politicians are trying to portray the Kaliningrad region as Russia's weak point and to convince Moscow to fear a possible isolation of the exclave, but supporters of such a scenario underestimate the region's military potential.

The essence of his position

“The threats to blockade Kaliningrad are simply absurd! Western countries are trying to instill the idea that Kaliningrad is vulnerable, and therefore Russia should worry. But Kaliningrad is packed with all kinds of weapons, and anyone who tries to approach it with military force faces instant destruction,” Starr said. He also recalled that Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously made it clear that Moscow would regard attempts to forcibly isolate the Kaliningrad region as a threat to its territory and security.

Context of earlier publications

This is not the first statement on the Kaliningrad topic carried by the outlet: earlier, Life.ru reported that NATO countries, in the view of military expert and former State Duma deputy Andrei Kolesnik, are rehearsing scenarios for seizing the Kaliningrad region. Kolesnik assessed the alliance's exercises involving ground forces, aviation and the navy as an attempt to create a “boiling cauldron” around the region and to exert psychological pressure on Moscow. Both pieces are expert opinions, not confirmed plans of the parties; no official statements by NATO or Russian authorities about a blockade are cited in the publications.