OREANDA-NEWS Former Lithuanian Foreign Minister Antanas Valenis expressed the opinion that Russia, in a direct clash with NATO, allegedly risks losing the Kaliningrad region. In an interview with the Delfi portal, the politician said that the military infrastructure in the region could be destroyed.

"Regarding Kaliningrad, we have heard this one rational thing so many times at different levels. At the beginning of any acute phase of any conflict between NATO in the Baltic states, for example, and Russia (...) The entire power of the Kaliningrad region will be preemptively destroyed," he said.

In his opinion, "it will continue in such a way that the entire military power of the Kaliningrad region will be preemptively destroyed." Valenis also added that this scenario has been repeatedly discussed on various platforms — and now it is increasingly being voiced publicly.

Earlier, the head of the Federation Council's commission for the protection of Russia's state sovereignty, Vladimir Dzhabarov, accused the West of escalating tensions around Kaliningrad. Commenting on the information that American reconnaissance and electronic warfare aircraft were spotted in the skies over Poland near the Kaliningrad region, Jabarov said that Russia would give a tough rebuff in case of provocations in the region.

Three NATO reconnaissance aircraft were spotted near the Kaliningrad region on August 19.