Russia's Kaliningrad puts on brave face as isolation bites

The Baltic states surrounding Kaliningrad, all NATO members, have been some of Ukraine's staunchest backers since Moscow launched its offensive in February 2022.

Poland and Lithuania "want to show off, display their strength, reinforce their borders", said Alexander, 25, who did not give his surname.

But his city is "certainly not one that surrenders", he added, taking pride that Russia had far more weapons than its smaller neighbours.

His defiance echoes the Kremlin's relentless criticism of NATO.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin has for years accused the military alliance of breaking an apparent promise not to expand eastwards.

In June, he said Russians had been "tricked, duped on the subject of NATO's non-expansion". 

Ukraine and the West reject that narrative as a pretext advanced by Putin to justify the offensive, which has become Europe's largest conflict since World War II.

In Russia's neighbours, the intensity of the confrontation is palpable.

Poland and Lithuania, which have a land border with Kaliningrad, have virtually closed their borders for Russians, bar limited exceptions.

In recent weeks, Estonia and Lithuania have reported Russian jets violating their airspace. 

And Poland's new president Karol Nawrocki said he believed Russia was "ready to hit at other countries" after NATO scrambled jets to shoot down Russian drones flying through Polish airspace. 

- 'Let them bark' -

Kaliningrad -- a previously German city called Konigsberg until it became Soviet after WWII -- is strategic for Moscow. 

It is home to Russia's Baltic Fleet, as well as Iskander ballistic missiles, the same kind that Moscow regularly fires on Ukraine.

The region's governor did not respond to an AFP request for an interview. 

The Kremlin's hardline messages run deep with many.

Marina, a 63 year-old who works in a clothes shop, mocked the region's EU neighbours, saying they should focus on their own problems.

"Let them bark," she said. "I am 100 percent protected in Kaliningrad. I am not scared of NATO." 

Showing Russian tourists round the tomb of philosopher Immanuel Kant, guide Anna Dmitrik was relieved that Kaliningrad had not been targeted by the Ukrainian retaliatory drone attacks that have hit many other regions.

"It's calm here. We are not scared for now," she said, adding: "I don't know what will happen next." 

Still, reminders of the war are everywhere. 

Banners encouraged men to sign up to fight in Ukraine for Russia's "victorious army". Giant Zs -- the symbol of Moscow's forces in Ukraine -- decorated buildings. 

- 'Life was better then' -

But behind the defiance, Kaliningrad's locals struggled with the feeling of being more isolated, and worse off, than before February 2022.

Banned from EU airspace, planes connecting the exclave to the rest of Russia must take a long detour northwards via the Gulf of Finland.

A train linking it to Moscow is physically sealed as it crosses Lithuania, with Russian passengers requiring a visa or transit permit to board.

And

Vilnius has closed its border with key Russian ally Belarus for at least a month over the intrusion of balloons carrying thousands of illegal cigarettes into the EU state.

Before "you could go to Poland to shop or just take a walk. Buses and trucks were running", said mechanic Vitaly Tsypliankov, 48.

"Life was better then," he added.

"Now everything is closed. Everything is more expensive, absolutely everything has become costlier." 

Inflation has surged across Russia amid the Ukraine offensive, but complicated logistics hit Kaliningrad especially hard.  

While Poland's border is technically open, only Russians with EU residency can enter. Traffic into the country has virtually stopped.  

Most petrol stations near the border are empty if not shut down. 

The giant Baltia shopping mall, on the road to the airport, is sparsely frequented. 

"Kaliningrad's economic situation is very bad," said Irina, a saleswoman there.

"Logistics are very complicated to bring in products from (the rest of) Russia," she said, puffing on a cigarette.

"Everything is more expensive."

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