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Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed to use nuclear weapons against the West if NATO attempts to isolate the Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad.
Russia set out the warning in an informal diplomatic document sent to NATO as tensions rise over the heavily militarised territory.
The document said: “Russia will be ready to use the entire arsenal of forces and capabilities at its disposal, including nuclear weapons, in order to defend its territory should NATO countries undertake any attempt aimed at isolating the Kaliningrad Region from the rest of the country.”
It also raised the possibility “of Russian strikes against decision-making centres in the alliance’s member states right from the outset.”
Russian embassies in Europe, including the Russian Embassy in London, have issued separate warnings accusing NATO of escalating tensions around Kaliningrad.
The warning comes as Russian forces launch a major attack on Kyiv, killing at least three people and targeting the Ukrainian capital’s energy infrastructure.
Russia has claimed that NATO military exercises could be preparations for an air and naval blockade of Kaliningrad. It has not provided evidence that the alliance intends to impose such a blockade.
Kaliningrad sits on the Baltic Sea between Poland and Lithuania, both NATO members, and is separated from mainland Russia.
NATO spokesperson Allison Hart confirmed that the alliance had received the Russian document and said NATO had responded to Moscow.
Hart said: “We have sent a response, noting that NATO is a defensive Alliance and none of our activities or exercises pose a risk to any part of Russia. We strongly denounce the threat of force, including any irresponsible nuclear rhetoric. We call on Russia to end its unprovoked war in Ukraine.”
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte also called for calm while rejecting Moscow’s nuclear threats.
Rutte said: “I think the best way to deal with this is to have a little bit of calm here on the NATO side. We can allow a bit of calm, but also a bit of making sure we continue with what we are doing.”
The warning coincides with a renewed Russian assault on Ukraine’s power network as winter approaches.
Russia launched 188 drones as well as Zircon and Onyx missiles and Iskander ballistic missiles across Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.
Ukrainian forces said they shot down or suppressed 155 drones and five missiles.
Power facilities in and around Kyiv were damaged during the attack. The Trypilska Thermal Power Plant in Kyiv Oblast was also hit and emergency electricity cuts were imposed in the capital.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi said: “Since the summer, there has been practically no day when the enemy has not attacked energy infrastructure. But such a massive and combined attack has occurred for the first time since the end of the last heating season.”
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv’s energy infrastructure was the main target.
Zelensky said: “Each interceptor missile really saves lives. And the closer to winter, the more such protection is needed. We must do everything to ensure that Russia’s bet on ballistic and drone terror does not play out.”
At least three people were killed in Kyiv, according to Ukrainian authorities.
Two women were killed in the Sviatoshynskyi district, where homes were damaged. Another person died after a warehouse was hit in the Solomianskyi district. Seven people were injured.
The air raid alert in Kyiv lasted more than 12 hours as missiles and drones targeted the capital. Debris also fell on the grounds of an unidentified Western embassy in the Shevchenkivskyi district.
The attack follows several days of strikes on Kyiv.
Russian drones struck the centre of the capital on September 28, killing two people and injuring 26. Further missiles and drones hit the city the following night.
Russia has increasingly used fast jet-powered drones alongside ballistic missiles as it seeks to put greater pressure on Ukrainian air defences.
The latest attack also prompted NATO members to increase their own defences. Poland and Romania scrambled fighter aircraft during the bombardment.
A Russian drone also crossed into neighbouring Moldova and exploded near the village of Hirbovet.
Russia has repeatedly invoked its nuclear arsenal during its confrontation with Western governments over Ukraine.
Moscow says it does not intend to attack NATO territory but has warned that military action against Russian territory would trigger a major response.
