Russia threatens NATO with a nuclear strike if the alliance tries to blockade Kaliningrad

Russia’s embassy in Ireland posted a nuclear warning on social media, citing unspecified “reports coming in” about NATO preparations for an air and naval blockade of the Kaliningrad region:There should be no mistake – Russia would be ready to use all its arsenal, including nuclear weapons, to defend its territory if NATO countries try to isolate [the] Kaliningrad region from the rest of the country.Russia “has no plans to escalate tensions with Europe,” the embassy said, while “Europe’s irresponsible and shortsighted political elite is playing a dangerous game.”The same warning appears in a document Russia sent to NATO and Reuters obtained. In it, Moscow accuses the alliance of pursuing a “dangerous and reckless course” that carries “a high risk of direct armed conflict.”In its written response, NATO said none of the alliance’s exercises or activities threaten Russian territory. “We urge the Russian Federation to refrain from increasingly reckless behavior towards the Allies and to cease its irresponsible nuclear rhetoric,” it said, according to Reuters.The embassy’s post responded to statements by European politicians about an increase in Russian hybrid attacks against Ukraine’s allies.At Meduza, we are committed to transparency about our use of artificial intelligence in the newsroom. The story you’re reading was written by one of our living, breathing journalists and translated from Russian using an AI model configured to follow our strict editorial standards. This translation process is the result of extensive testing and refinements to ensure our English-language coverage is timely and accurate. A Meduza editor reviews every draft before publication.If you find any errors in this translation, please contact us at [email protected].To read Meduza’s exclusive content in English, please subscribe to our newsletter.