Lithuania and Poland incessantly whine about a 'Russian threat' to their security - yet the only border they share with Russia is a small sliver of land totally cut off from Moscow
Russia's Kaliningrad region, hosting a capital city of the same name, is a small exclave sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania. It is less than 200 km wide at its widest extent.
Until 1945, the city of Kaliningrad was the German city of Königsberg, founded by the Teutonic Order and capital of Prussia for centuries. It was then annexed to Russia by Stalin as war reparations and its population replaced by Russians.
When Lithuania gained independence from the Soviet Union, Kaliningrad was left cut off from Russia proper. Its inhabitants struggled to survive the 1990s.
Now, Kaliningrad is making a remarkable recovery. But this tiny sliver of land has Poland and Lithuania terrified of the "Russian threat" - so much so that Vilnius is building a new security fence.
This excellent report from Russian TV takes you inside Kaliningrad to see for yourself how vile and threatening it is.
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