Russian diplomatic missions in Belgium and Ireland issued harsh warnings to NATO almost simultaneously. As FAZ writes on October 1, 2026, the accusations center on the Kaliningrad exclave on the Baltic: Moscow claims that the alliance is preparing scenarios to "cut it off" from the rest of Russia, and threatens to use its "entire arsenal."
What exactly Moscow stated
The Russian embassy in Brussels complained about the "unprecedented buildup" of NATO activity along Russia's western borders and accused the alliance of "propagating the myth of the Russian threat." The diplomats warned that the risks of direct armed conflict are growing, and stated their readiness to use their "entire arsenal" if NATO countries try to isolate the Kaliningrad region.
The next day, the embassy in Dublin picked up similar rhetoric. In particular, it criticized NATO's almost continuous exercises with "anti-Russian scenarios" in Poland, the Baltic states, Norway, Finland, and the Baltic Sea — from June to September.
The Suwalki Corridor and the "Gallant Boar" exercises
Separately, the Russian side attacked the Lithuanian-Polish-French maneuvers "Gallant Boar," during which the defense of the so-called Suwalki Corridor — a narrow strip between Belarus and Kaliningrad — was practiced. This section has long been considered a weak point of NATO's eastern flank: theoretically, through it, Moscow could try to cut off the Baltics from the rest of the alliance.
In response, Moscow again mentioned "nuclear weapons" and even "preemptive strikes on decision-making centers in alliance countries" — wording that FAZ calls part of a campaign to intimidate Western societies.
Why Kaliningrad has become vulnerable
After Sweden and Finland joined NATO, the Baltic effectively turned into an "internal sea" of the alliance. This facilitates the potential isolation of the exclave and the Baltic Fleet from the sea. At the same time, NATO is strengthening its forward defense: battlegroups on the eastern flank may be expanded to brigade level, and near the Suwalki Corridor the Bundeswehr is building a permanent tank brigade of about 5,000 troops.
In Kaliningrad itself, according to journalists' estimates, more than 1,700 names of the dead have been recorded since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine until mid-September — losses that reinforce the region's sense of vulnerability, despite the likely presence of nuclear assets there.
NATO's reaction and the link to Ukraine
A NATO spokeswoman said on Tuesday: no activity or exercise of the alliance poses a threat to any part of Russia. The alliance condemned threats of force, in particular "irresponsible nuclear rhetoric," and emphasized that Moscow's hybrid tactics are a "sign of desperation" that will not make NATO abandon further support for Ukraine.
It is precisely this emphasis, according to FAZ, that is the main goal of the Russian statements in English: to sow fear in Western societies, discredit the idea of a "Russian threat," and undermine political will for financial and military aid to Kyiv. Moscow is counting on parties like the AfD that pick up Kremlin narratives — and on the fear of escalation playing into the Kremlin's hands.
The material was prepared based on a FAZ publication dated October 1, 2026 (Thomas Gutschker, Friedrich Schmidt).