The Kaliningrad Question in the National Security of the Russian Federation

Öz

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 Putin's 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 Russia's perspective, Russian armed forces stationed in the region serve as a counterweight to an expanding NATO. Therefore, this article aims to analyse Russia's relations with the West through Kaliningrad from a military security perspective.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Kaliningrad
• Russian Federation
• Baltic Region
• NATO
• Military Security

Rusya Federasyonu’nun Ulusal Güvenliğinde Kaliningrad Meselesi

Öz

1991 yılında Sovyetler Birliği’nin 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 Birliği'nin “askeri kalesi” olarak Batı'ya 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 NATO'nun birbirini takip eden doğuya doğru genişlemeleriyle daha da artmıştır. Rusya 1990'lardan bu yana Kaliningrad'ın kuşatılmasına şiddetle karşı çıkmış ve bölge Vladimir Putin'in liderliğinde tekrardan askeri açıdan önem kazanmıştır. Batı ile ilişkiler kötüleştikçe, Rusya bölgedeki askeri unsurlarını güçlendirerek bölgeyi Batı’ya karşı askeri bir hazırlık sahası olarak kullanmıştır. Sonuç olarak Kaliningrad, Kremlin için bir güvenlik politikası aracı haline gelmiş ve özellikle Baltık devletleri ile Polonya'ya yönelik süregelen tehdidin bir parçası olmuştur. Bölgede konuşlanan Rus silahlı kuvvetleri, Rusya'nın bakış açısından genişleyen NATO'ya karşı bir denge unsuru olarak hizmet etmektedir. Dolayısıyla bu makale Rusya'nın Kaliningrad üzerinden Batı ile ilişkilerini askeri güvenlik perspektifinden analiz etmeyi amaçlamaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Kaliningrad
• Rusya Federasyonu
• Baltık Bölgesi
• NATO
• Askeri Güvenlik

Kaynakça

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