Public Story
Russian Aggression Brings High Anxiety to Strategic Sliver of Europe
NATO is concerned about the Poland-Lithuania border region between Kaliningrad and Belarus; ‘What comes in the near future, who can say?’
SUWALKI, Poland—The bucolic region around the Polish-Lithuanian border has long been known for its rolling farmlands, serene lakes and historic cities.
To strategists in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, it is now also known as a danger spot.
Suwalki, a city of almost 70,000, sits along the 45-mile corridor of NATO territory between two Russian military strongholds. To the southeast is Belarus, a close Russian ally that has served as a base for its invasion of Ukraine. To the northwest is Kaliningrad, a chunk of Russia that was disconnected from the rest of the country by the breakup of the Soviet Union.
By Daniel Michaels
On assignment for The Wall Street Journal
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