US Gen. threatens Kaliningrad, claims NATO can destroy Russian assets
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General Christopher Donahue claims NATO has the capability to dismantle Russia’s advanced A2/AD defenses in Kaliningrad rapidly, describing the region as vulnerable despite its strategic military presence.
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Servicemen run during the Steadfast Dart 2025 exercise, involving some 10,000 troops in three different countries from nine nations, at a training range in Smardan, eastern Romania, Feb. 19, 2025. (AP)
General Christopher T. Donahue, commander of US Army Europe and Africa, has stated that NATO possesses the operational capability to dismantle Russia’s military presence in the Kaliningrad region if conflict were to erupt.
Speaking at the Association of the US Army’s LandEuro conference in Wiesbaden, Germany, Donahue claimed that Kaliningrad, though heavily fortified with advanced Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) systems, can be neutralized rapidly through ground operations.
"If you look at Kaliningrad … it's about 47 miles wide, surrounded by NATO on all sides. There's absolutely no reason why, that A2/AD bubble, to deter Russia, we cannot take that down from the ground in a time frame that is unheard of and faster than we've ever been able to do," Donahue said.
NATO confident in strategy to counter Russian defenses
According to the general, NATO has already developed a detailed plan aimed at dismantling Russia’s A2/AD systems deployed in Kaliningrad. The plan was reviewed over the past two days by European military leaders attending the Conference of European Armies.
"The mass and momentum problem that Russia poses to us, a problem that we could face anywhere else in the world, we've developed the capability to make sure that we can stop that mass and momentum problem, approximately 22 divisions worth of capability," he added.
Kaliningrad’s strategic position and Russia’s A2/AD
Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea bordered by NATO members Poland and Lithuania, is home to some of the most advanced military systems in the region. The A2/AD network includes radar installations, missile defense systems, and long-range strike capabilities designed to deter or delay NATO operations.
Despite these defenses, Donahue stressed that NATO forces are now prepared to neutralize those assets efficiently, ensuring operational access in any future conflict scenario involving the Baltic.
In the same context, Germany’s Armed Forces, the Bundeswehr, announced that its troops will be permanently stationed along NATO’s eastern flank in Lithuania, with the unit expected to be fully operational by 2027, Newsweek reported in April.
This marks Germany’s first permanent foreign deployment of soldiers since World War II.
Brigadier General Christoph Huber, commander of the German brigade in Lithuania, stated, "We have a clear mission. We have to ensure the protection, freedom and security of our Lithuanian allies here on NATO's eastern flank."
Lithuania shares borders with Belarus, a close ally of Moscow, and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, a region that could be a flashpoint in any potential conflict between Russia and NATO, the report pointed out.
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