In Russia's Kaliningrad, isolation and economic woes bite

AFP and Global Watch | 2025-11-12

In Kaliningrad, the isolated Russian exclave surrounded by NATO countries, officials and locals are feeling the economic effects of being cut-off from European Union (EU) neighbors and physically isolated from the rest of Russia.

The Baltic states surrounding Kaliningrad, all NATO members, have been some of Ukraine's staunchest backers since Moscow launched its offensive in February 2022.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin has for years accused the military alliance of breaking an apparent promise not to expand eastwards.

Ukraine and the West reject that narrative as a pretext advanced by Putin to justify the offensive, which has become Europe's largest conflict since World War II.

In Russia's neighbors, the intensity of the confrontation is palpable.

Poland and Lithuania, which have a land border with Kaliningrad, have virtually closed their borders for Russians, bar limited exceptions.

In recent weeks, Estonia and Lithuania have reported Russian jets violating their airspace.

'Life was better then'

And Poland's new president Karol Nawrocki said he believed Russia was "ready to hit at other countries" after NATO scrambled jets to shoot down Russian drones flying through Polish airspace.

But in Kaliningrad -- once the German city of Königsberg -- the consequences of that war are more economic than ideological.

"Before, you could go to Poland to shop or just take a walk. Buses and trucks were running," said mechanic Vitaly Tsypliankov, 48. "Life was better then. Now everything is closed. Everything is more expensive, absolutely everything has become costlier."

Inflation has surged across Russia since 2022, but Kaliningrad has been hit especially hard by its geographic isolation. Banned from EU airspace, planes connecting the region to mainland Russia must now take a long detour over the Gulf of Finland. Train routes are sealed as they pass through Lithuania, with passengers needing transit permits to travel.

"Kaliningrad's economic situation is very bad," said Irina, a saleswoman at the near-empty Baltia shopping mall on the road to the airport. "Logistics are very complicated to bring in products from (the rest of) Russia. Everything is more expensive."

Most petrol stations near the border are shuttered and Poland now allows entry only to Russians with EU residency. "Traffic into the country has virtually stopped," Irina added.