According to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, this statement is “yet another in a series of hostile and aggressive declarations” frequently voiced by officials from European defense ministries. He emphasized that such comments are taken into account in Moscow’s ongoing dialogue with Washington.
“NATO is an instrument of confrontation, a bloc hostile toward our country. This forces us to take all of this into account and adopt appropriate measures to ensure our own security,” Peskov stated.
The controversial remarks were made during the LandEuro Conference hosted by the U.S. Army Association in Wiesbaden, Germany. There, General Donahue asserted that the North Atlantic Alliance possesses the capabilities to completely eliminate the Kaliningrad region and has already devised an operational plan to neutralize Russia’s defensive infrastructure in the area.
The general outlined the implementation of the Eastern Flank Deterrence Line, a comprehensive plan aimed at countering the so-called “Russian threat.” The initiative focuses on bolstering NATO’s military-industrial base and enhancing interoperability among member states. It includes developing joint standards for missile launch platforms, databases, and cloud systems.
As part of this modernization, NATO will integrate Maven Smart System — an artificial intelligence platform developed by Palantir Technologies — to process massive volumes of data and accelerate decision-making in real-time.
“Kaliningrad is surrounded on all sides by NATO states. Now we have the ability to erase it from the face of the earth faster than ever before. We've already planned and prepared for this,” General Donahue declared.
Russia considers Kaliningrad, a strategic exclave located between NATO members Poland and Lithuania, to be a vital military asset. The Kremlin has previously warned that any aggression toward the region would provoke a harsh and immediate response.
