Ukraine War

Were Ukraine’s Special Forces in Kaliningrad?

A strange coincidence of events has led to speculation surrounding the serious fire on a Russian warship in Kaliningrad and whether Ukraine’s SBU was involved

Velikiy Ustyug, Russian Buyan-M class missile corvette, sister ship of burned Serpukhov. Fire credit Ukr SBU? . Image Credit: By Mil.ru, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=50531649. Author overlay X

The build-up

There’s definitely an increasing focus on activity in the Baltic.

There has been speculation that the Suwalki Gap, could be a corridor for Russia to drive through from Belarus to the Russian enclve of Kaliningrad when Putin starts another SMO. It has featured in NATO planning for many years.

The Suwalki Gap, credit: By Jakub Łuczak — Own work, Public Domain

Kaliningrad (correct historical name in Polish is Królewiec) has been part of the USSR/Russia since WWII when it was captured from Germany (known then as Königsberg).

Kaliningrad is a major transport hub, with sea and river ports. It is home to the headquarters of the Baltic Fleet of the Russian Navy, and is one of the largest industrial centres in Russia.

The Baltic Fleet is estimated to be around 43 surface warships strong (Wikipedia). This includes: