NATO Secretary General Rutte warned after the 'military games' in the area that the alliance's response to a possible attempt to blockade the Suwalki Corridor would be 'crushing.'
NATO's reaction to an attempt to blockade the Suwalki Corridor will be 'crushing,' said the alliance's Secretary General Mark Rutte. His words were reported by Polskie Radio.
'Let no one think they can attack us, because our response will be crushing,' he said, referring to a possible NATO response.
The Secretary General reminded that allies regularly conduct exercises that account for various scenarios based on all intelligence data.
The Suwalki Corridor is a land bridge approximately 100 km long between the territories of Belarus and the Kaliningrad region, which effectively runs along the border of Poland and Lithuania, separating the Baltic states from the other NATO members. Lithuania is currently keeping the corridor open for Russian transport.
Lithuanian authorities have repeatedly expressed concerns that Russia may seize the territory of the Suwalki Corridor and have conducted exercises in the area to test their defense capabilities.
In December, the German newspaper Die Welt organized a 'military game' in collaboration with the German Center for Military Games at the Helmut Schmidt University of the German Armed Forces. Sixteen former high-ranking officials, lawmakers, and prominent security experts from Germany and NATO participated.
The 'game' simulated a confrontation between the bloc and Russia in the Baltic region, which, according to the plan, could unfold in October 2026. The concept was based on the idea of Russia 'capturing' the Lithuanian city of Mariampol on its own border with Belarus from the Kaliningrad region. The Suwalki Corridor lies to the west of this city.
