Security & Future
Vol. 9 (2025), Issue 3, pg(s) 76-79

NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

Geopolitical Implications for Poland’s Security – The Problem of Kaliningrad Oblast

  • 1 University of Warmia and Mazury, Poland Institute of Political Science

Abstract

The article examines how the specific geographical location of the Kaliningrad Oblast influences Poland’s security. The Russian exclave, situated between Poland and Lithuania and separated by land from the rest of the Russian Federation, is simultaneously one of the most militarised regions in Europe and a logistically vulnerable area exposed to potential blockade by NATO and EU member states.
Drawing on qualitative analysis of strategic documents, expert reports and specialist media from 2022-2025, the study identifies the main military, missile-nuclear, hybrid and economic dimensions of the threats arising from the presence of Russian forces in Kaliningrad.
Particular attention is paid to the Suwałki Gap as a key vulnerability on NATO’s north-eastern flank and to the role of the exclave in Russia’s strategy in the Baltic Sea region. The article argues that, despite Russia’s temporary reduction of forces in Kaliningrad due to the war in Ukraine, the medium-term risk of remilitarisation and further missile deployments remains high. For Poland this implies the need to sustain elevated defence expenditure, strengthen air and missile defence and long-range fires, deepen cooperation with Baltic and Nordic allies, and develop civil resilience, especially in regions bordering the Kaliningrad Oblast

Keywords

References

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