(../../../../favicon_aje.ico) Russia warns NATO of possible nuclear response if Kaliningrad is cut off | NATO News | Al Jazeera    (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/30/russia-warns-nato-of-possible-nuclear-response-if-kaliningrad-is-cut-off)                                              (https://www.aljazeera.com/xml/rss/all.xml)  (https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2026/9/30/russia-warns-nato-of-possible-nuclear-response-if-kaliningrad-is-cut-off)  (https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/reuters_6abd5616-1790793238.jpg?resize=1920%2C1440)  (../../../../wp-content/uploads/2026/09/reuters_6abd5616-1790793238.jpg@resize=770,513&quality=80)     (https://cdn.cookielaw.org) (https://cdn.cookielaw.org) (https://cdn.cookielaw.org) (https://cdn.cookielaw.org/scripttemplates/otSDKStub.js) (https://www.google-analytics.com) (https://www.google-analytics.com) (https://www.google-analytics.com) (https://static.chartbeat.com/) (https://static.chartbeat.com/) (https://static.chartbeat.com/) (../../../../static/css/vendor~main~d08ff9cb.24bf1742.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~748942c6.6c6e15fe.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~b07b7304.e3bc53a0.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~6e6dca10.74fd263a.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~5db14389.a7dc5dd5.r2.chunk.css) (https://www.aljazeera.com/static/media/Roboto-Bold.52bb58c8.woff2) (https://www.aljazeera.com/static/media/Roboto-Regular.c5bf51b6.woff2)  (../../../../static/css/vendor~aje/containers/home-page~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~containers/amp-live-blo~5f903362.2e08e417.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/component~aje/containers/home-page~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~containers/amp-live-~41c72a2c.3f309873.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/component~aje/containers/home-page~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~containers/amp-live-~06be7c11.0625e98d.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/common~493df0b3.ec3ab9b5.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/pages/article-page~493df0b3.accd71c7.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/common~493df0b3.ec3ab9b5.r2.chunk.css)   Skip links (russia-warns-nato-of-possible-nuclear-response-if-kaliningrad-is-cut-off@traffic_source=rss.html#main-content-area) Skip to Content  (https://www.aljazeera.com/)          (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/live) play    Live    Sign up  Show navigation menu     Navigation menu (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/) News    Show more news sections  (https://www.aljazeera.com/africa/) Africa   (https://www.aljazeera.com/asia/) Asia   (https://www.aljazeera.com/us-canada/) US & Canada   (https://www.aljazeera.com/latin-america/) Latin America   (https://www.aljazeera.com/europe/) Europe   (https://www.aljazeera.com/asia-pacific/) Asia Pacific      (https://www.aljazeera.com/middle-east/) Middle East   (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/explainer/) Explained   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sports) Sport   (https://www.aljazeera.com/opinion/) Opinion   (https://www.aljazeera.com/videos/) Video   More   Show more sections  (https://www.aljazeera.com/aljazeera-originals) Originals   (https://www.aljazeera.com/features/) Features   (https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/) Economy   (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/human-rights/) Human Rights   (https://www.aljazeera.com/climate-crisis) Climate Crisis   (https://www.aljazeera.com/investigations/) Investigations   (https://www.aljazeera.com/interactives/) Interactives   (https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/) In Pictures   (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/science-and-technology/) Science & Technology   (https://www.aljazeera.com/audio/podcasts) Podcasts   (https://www.aljazeera.com/travel) Travel   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sponsored/) Sponsored Content        (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/live) play    Live    Click here to search search     Sign up        Navigation menu caret-left    (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/ukraine-russia-crisis/) Russia-Ukraine war    (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/inside-story/2026/5/30/is-the-war-in-ukraine-entering-a-new-phase-2) Is the war entering a new phase?   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Listen   Listen (1 min)       Save       Share Russia warns NATO of possible nuclear response if Kaliningrad is cut off on social media share-nodes    Share (https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2F7iy97s) facebook      (https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Russia%20warns%20NATO%20of%20possible%20nuclear%20response%20if%20Kaliningrad%20is%20cut%20off&source=sharethiscom&related=sharethis&via=AJEnglish&url=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2F7iy97s) x    (whatsapp://send?text=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2F7iy97s) whatsapp-stroke    (https://aje.news/7iy97s)  copylink          google       Add Al Jazeera on Google  info      (Spanish Air Force F-18 fighter jets fly over Lithuania during a NATO media tour in Siauliai Air Base, Lithuania, September 30, 2026. REUTERS/Ints Kalnins)   Spanish Air Force F-18 fighter jets fly over Lithuania during a NATO media tour in Siauliai Air Base, Lithuania, September 30, 2026 [Ints Kalnins/Reuters]   By  Reuters   Published On 30 Sep 2026 30 Sep 2026    Russia has warned NATO it is prepared to use its entire arsenal, including nuclear weapons, if the Western alliance attempts to cut off the Baltic exclave of (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/6/24/achilles-heel-of-nato-tensions-amid-kaliningrads-transit-ban) Kaliningrad , according to a diplomatic document sent to member states. The diplomatic memo sent on Wednesday claimed Moscow has “information that NATO is preparing an air and naval blockade of Kaliningrad”. NATO’s response came through its Secretary-General Mark Rutte, who said that NATO is a defensive alliance and that Russia should “stop the nuclear threats”, calling the document unhelpful. Rutte also downplayed the seriousness of the threat, saying that “Putin knows that he can never win” in a direct escalation with NATO.      Bordered by Poland and Lithuania, both NATO members, the Russian territory of Kaliningrad sits on the (https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2026/5/27/the-baltics-urgently-need-a-de-escalation-mechanism-belarus-can-help) Baltic Sea . The region serves as a major military outpost, housing Russia’s Baltic fleet and nuclear-ready Iskander missile systems. The exchange comes more than four and a half years into Russia’s full-scale (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/2/24/timeline-after-months-tensions-russia-attacks-ukraine) war in Ukraine, as tensions increasingly spill into neighbouring states. Poland has (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/25/poland-boosts-air-defence-after-russian-provocations-amid-ukraine-war) heightened its air defence posture following alleged incursions into its airspace in recent weeks, while Danish authorities said a Russian warship (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/15/russia-warns-denmark-after-near-miss-in-baltic-sea) fired two flares near a Danish military helicopter over the Baltic Sea two weeks ago.            aj-logo             aj-logo             aj-logo       Advertisement          About About   Show more  (https://www.aljazeera.com/about-us) About Us   (https://www.aljazeera.com/code-of-ethics/) Code of Ethics   (https://www.aljazeera.com/terms-and-conditions/) Terms and Conditions   (https://www.aljazeera.com/eu-eea-regulatory/) EU/EEA Regulatory Notice   (https://privacy.aljazeera.net/) Privacy Policy   (https://privacy.aljazeera.net/cookie/) Cookie Policy   (https://www.aljazeera.com/) Cookie Preferences    (https://trust.aljazeera.net/accessibility/) Accessibility Statement   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sitemap) Sitemap   (https://careers.aljazeera.net/) Work for us      Connect Connect   Show more  (https://network.aljazeera.net/en/contact?tid=6) Contact Us   (https://www.aljazeera.com/user-accounts-help) User Accounts Help   (https://commercial.aljazeera.net/) Advertise with us   (https://www.aljazeera.com/stay-connected) Stay Connected   (https://www.aljazeera.com/newsletters) Newsletters   (https://sat.aljazeera.net/en) Channel Finder   (https://www.aljazeera.com/schedule/) TV Schedule   (https://www.aljazeera.com/podcasts/) Podcasts   (https://webapps.aljazeera.net/aje/tips/) Submit a Tip   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sponsored) Paid Partner Content      Our Channels Our Channels   Show more  (http://aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Arabic   (https://www.aljazeera.com/) Al Jazeera English   (https://www.ajiunit.com/) Al Jazeera Investigative Unit   (https://www.aljazeeramubasher.net/) Al Jazeera Mubasher   (http://doc.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Documentary   (http://balkans.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Balkans   (http://ajplus.net/) AJ+      Our Network Our Network   Show more  (http://studies.aljazeera.net/en/) Al Jazeera Centre for Studies   (http://training.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Media Institute   (http://learning.aljazeera.net/) Learn Arabic   (http://liberties.aljazeera.com/en) Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights   (http://forum.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Forum   (https://hotels.aljazeera.net/en) Al Jazeera Hotel Partners        Follow Al Jazeera English: (https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera) facebook       (https://twitter.com/ajenglish) twitter     (https://www.youtube.com/aljazeeraenglish) youtube     (https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/?hl=en) instagram-colored-outline                          (https://www.aljazeera.com/xml/rss/all.xml) rss     (https://bsky.app/profile/aljazeera.com) bluesky     (https://www.tiktok.com/@aljazeeraenglish) tiktok-colored-outline                  (Al Jazeera Media Network logo)   © 2026 Al Jazeera Media Network