Kremlin Spokesman: Kaliningrad's Status as Integral Part of Russia Will Not Be Threatened

MOSCOW, October 1. /TASS/. Russian authorities will never allow anyone to threaten the Kaliningrad Region's status as an integral part of the country, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

He noted that the media greatly "exaggerates" reports about the region's security, which then "makes its way into the minds of European officials, who begin to voice practical steps toward militarization."

"We need to tone down the rhetoric. Europe needs to understand that the Kaliningrad Region is indeed an integral part of the Russian Federation. The Russian Federation will never allow anyone to challenge its status as an integral part of the country. At the same time, we believe that such rhetoric should not dominate. What is happening now is bad," the Kremlin spokesman said in a comment to Izvestia.

He noted that the well-being of the Kaliningrad Region has always been on the Russian leadership's agenda, "it always has been; it is not something that has emerged in recent days."

"Now, as we have already said, Europe is undergoing such rampant militarization. We therefore need to formulate our position in advance and emphasize that the Kaliningrad Region is an integral part of the Russian Federation for us. Any attempts to put pressure on the region are unacceptable," Peskov stressed.