The Kaliningrad Question in the National Security of the Russian Federation

Elterişhan Elçibey

Makale detayları

The Kaliningrad Question in the National Security of the Russian Federation

Yazarlar:

Elterişhan Elçibey

Yayıncı:

Istanbul University

Ana Başlıklar:

Uluslararası İlişkiler (Diğer)

Dergi:

Avrasya İncelemeleri Dergisi Vol.13 Issue 2, pp.195-220

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

9/2024

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001330436

pISSN:

2147-7469

Anahtar kelimeler:

Özet:

 In 1991, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Kaliningrad region, which gained the status of an exclave, emerged as an important topic of discussion in Russian domestic and foreign policy discourse in the post-Soviet period and gained a strategic geopolitical importance. The region, which previously posed a threat to the West as the military stronghold of the Soviet Union, has been transformed into a Russian territory with reduced military elements in the post-Soviet period, primarily serving a defence function and having no direct connection with mainland Russia. The strategic importance of the region has been further enhanced by the successive eastward expansion of the European Union and NATO. Since the 1990s, Russia has strongly opposed the encirclement of Kaliningrad and the region has regained military importance under Vladimir Putins leadership. As relations with the West deteriorated, Russia strengthened its military assets in the region and used it as a military staging ground against the West. As a result, Kaliningrad has become a security policy tool for the Kremlin and part of the ongoing threat to the Baltic states and Poland in particular. From Russias perspective, Russian armed forces stationed in the region serve as a counterweight to an expanding NATO. Therefore, this article aims to analyse Russias relations with the West through Kaliningrad from a military security perspective.

 In 1991, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Kaliningrad region, which gained the status of an exclave, emerged as an important topic of discussion in Russian domestic and foreign policy discourse in the post-Soviet period and gained a strategic geopolitical importance. The region, which previously posed a threat to the West as the military stronghold of the Soviet Union, has been transformed into a Russian territory with reduced military elements in the post-Soviet period, primarily serving a defence function and having no direct connection with mainland Russia. The strategic importance of the region has been further enhanced by the successive eastward expansion of the European Union and NATO. Since the 1990s, Russia has strongly opposed the encirclement of Kaliningrad and the region has regained military importance under Vladimir Putins leadership. As relations with the West deteriorated, Russia strengthened its military assets in the region and used it as a military staging ground against the West. As a result, Kaliningrad has become a security policy tool for the Kremlin and part of the ongoing threat to the Baltic states and Poland in particular. From Russias perspective, Russian armed forces stationed in the region serve as a counterweight to an expanding NATO. Therefore, this article aims to analyse Russias relations with the West through Kaliningrad from a military security perspective.

 In 1991, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Kaliningrad region, which gained the status of an exclave, emerged as an important topic of discussion in Russian domestic and foreign policy discourse in the post-Soviet period and gained a strategic geopolitical importance. The region, which previously posed a threat to the West as the military stronghold of the Soviet Union, has been transformed into a Russian territory with reduced military elements in the post-Soviet period, primarily serving a defence function and having no direct connection with mainland Russia. The strategic importance of the region has been further enhanced by the successive eastward expansion of the European Union and NATO. Since the 1990s, Russia has strongly opposed the encirclement of Kaliningrad and the region has regained military importance under Vladimir Putins leadership. As relations with the West deteriorated, Russia strengthened its military assets in the region and used it as a military staging ground against the West. As a result, Kaliningrad has become a security policy tool for the Kremlin and part of the ongoing threat to the Baltic states and Poland in particular. From Russias perspective, Russian armed forces stationed in the region serve as a counterweight to an expanding NATO. Therefore, this article aims to analyse Russias relations with the West through Kaliningrad from a military security perspective.

 1991 yılında Sovyetler Birliğinin dağılmasının ardından eksklav statüsü kazanan Kaliningrad bölgesi, Sovyet sonrası dönemde Rus iç ve dış politika söyleminde önemli bir tartışma konusu olarak ortaya çıkmış ve jeopolitik açıdan stratejik bir önem kazanmıştır. Önceleri Sovyetler Birliğinin askeri kalesi olarak Batıya tehdit oluşturan bölge, Sovyet sonrası dönemde askeri unsurları azaltılmış olan, öncelikli olarak savunma işlevi gören ve Rusya anakarası ile doğrudan bağlantısı bulunmayan bir Rus toprağına dönüşmüştür. Bölgenin stratejik önemi, Avrupa Birliği ve NATOnun birbirini takip eden doğuya doğru genişlemeleriyle daha da artmıştır. Rusya 1990lardan bu yana Kaliningradın kuşatılmasına şiddetle karşı çıkmış ve bölge Vladimir Putinin liderliğinde tekrardan askeri açıdan önem kazanmıştır. Batı ile ilişkiler kötüleştikçe, Rusya bölgedeki askeri unsurlarını güçlendirerek bölgeyi Batıya karşı askeri bir hazırlık sahası olarak kullanmıştır. Sonuç olarak Kaliningrad, Kremlin için bir güvenlik politikası aracı haline gelmiş ve özellikle Baltık devletleri ile Polonyaya yönelik süregelen tehdidin bir parçası olmuştur. Bölgede konuşlanan Rus silahlı kuvvetleri, Rusyanın bakış açısından genişleyen NATOya karşı bir denge unsuru olarak hizmet etmektedir. Dolayısıyla bu makale Rusyanın Kaliningrad üzerinden Batı ile ilişkilerini askeri güvenlik perspektifinden analiz etmeyi amaçlamaktadır.

Makale detayları

The Kaliningrad Question in the National Security of the Russian Federation

Yazarlar:

Elterişhan Elçibey

Yayıncı:

Istanbul University

Ana Başlıklar:

Uluslararası İlişkiler (Diğer)

Dergi:

Avrasya İncelemeleri Dergisi Vol.13 Issue 2, pp.195-220

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

9/2024

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001330436

pISSN:

2147-7469

Kaliningrad

Russian Federation

Baltic Region

NATO

Military SecurityKaliningrad

Rusya Federasyonu

Baltık Bölgesi

NATO

Askeri Güvenlik

Sayı

Makale detayları

Yazarlar: Elterişhan Elçibey

Yayıncı: Istanbul University

Ana Başlıklar: Uluslararası İlişkiler (Diğer)

Dergi: Avrasya İncelemeleri Dergisi Vol.13 Issue 2, pp.195-220

Belge Tipi: Makale

Yayın Tarihi: 9/2024

Belge Dili: Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.): 2001330436

pISSN: 2147-7469

Sayı

Yazarlar:

Elterişhan Elçibey

Yayıncı:

Istanbul University

Ana Başlıklar:

Uluslararası İlişkiler (Diğer)

Dergi:

Avrasya İncelemeleri Dergisi Vol.13 Issue 2, pp.195-220

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

9/2024

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001330436

pISSN:

2147-7469