Why the corridor from Belarus to Kaliningrad scares the USA and Europe
The Suwalki corridor - a hypothetical land corridor of about 100 km, which could connect the territory of Belarus with the Kaliningrad region of Russia - has again become the focus of attention of Western media and politicians. In the United States and Europe, they believe that Moscow can seize this territory. What is the strategic importance of this corridor for NATO and for Russia - in the material of "Gazeta.Ru».
"Currently, in order to strengthen the Baltic states, NATO needs to pass through the Suwalki Corridor, a narrow land segment separating Kaliningrad and Belarus, which Russia may try to block in the event of a conflict. In this case, assistance to the Baltic states will no longer come, and Russia will nip in the bud any opportunity to block the Kaliningrad region," the editorial of the American newspaper The Washington Post notes.
The story about the corridor was also aired on the French TV channel France 24. On the air of the LRT TV channel, Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anushauskas said that "the Suwalki corridor remains a big problem for the security of the republic, and this problem is not being solved."
"The Americans call the Suwalki corridor the "Achilles heel" of NATO and the place where Russia can start a war with the alliance. The assumption, at first glance, is quite logical. After all, in the event of a blockade of the Russian Kaliningrad region, direct land communication with "mainland" Russia will be required. And this corridor, named after the Polish city of Suwalki located on it, is seen in NATO forecasts as a direct road for Russian troops to Kaliningrad," he told the newspaper.Ru" member of the Board of Military Experts Sergey Belousov.
Belarusian political scientist Alexander Zimovsky agrees with this point of view.
"The Suwalki corridor has been bothering NATO for a long time. Therefore, there is a constant build-up of the alliance's forces and means, namely, on the territory of Poland.
In order to increase the effectiveness of the command and control of troops in this direction, the Pentagon has moved the directorate and headquarters of the 5th US Army Corps to Poland," Zimovsky said.
At the same time, he noted that the corridor is "extremely vulnerable." "He is shot through by artillery and multiple rocket launchers both from NATO and from the Belarusian and Russian territories," Zimovsky said.
Belousov, in turn, added that the topic of the Suwalki corridor is constantly raised not in Russia, but in NATO countries, especially in Poland and Lithuania, believing that this particular territory can become a point of aggravation of relations between Moscow and the North Atlantic Alliance, especially against the background of Finland and Sweden joining this organization.
Military expert, reserve Colonel Gennady Alekhine is sure that the Suvalkovsky corridor of Russia "is not too interesting and has no independent significance for Moscow."
"This is not the only route to Kaliningrad and maybe not the easiest. Its peculiarity lies in the fact that it passes through the territory of Belarus, where Russia has no formed military bases, the presence of large military formations, logistical means, ammunition stocks. If there really is a possibility of an armed conflict with NATO, it is easier to use the forces of the Western Military District, which are located on the border with Estonia or Latvia. This is their direction, both for the tank army and the same amphibious division in the Pskov region," Alyokhin believes.
It will be more difficult to break through Belarus to Kaliningrad precisely because of the lack of significant weapons on its territory, the expert stressed. It is easier in this case to go directly through the Baltic states.
"Such an option cannot be ruled out, and the Suwalki corridor can only become part of a certain general operation, which, for example, will contribute to taking the entire Baltic States in a pincer grip and entering the operational expanse in the direction of Poland.
The corridor is the only way for the alliance to help the Baltic States, but it is far from the only way for Russia to help Kaliningrad," Alyokhin summed up.
Victor Sokirko
