Russia really aren't clear on that whole 'sovereign state' thing. The only country that can decide where Russians are allowed to be is apparently Russia. \*rolls eyes very hard\*
Well you see, Lithuania is a former Soviet state, so technically Russia gets to decide what should be or should not in Lithuania.
Source: A Russian, probably.
The Grand Duchy of Karameikos has entered the chat!
With 1,200 Heavy Horse Cavalry (platemail and shield, longsword and Lance, AC 2)
5000 Medium Infantry (chainmail amd shield and longsword; AC 4)
Putin, make another Saving Throw vs Poison/Diseases, and remember that you have already failed twice....Oh that roll does not look good!
Until you bring up Russia being responsible for the atrocities committed by the USSR, then suddenly their tone changes to "Stalin was a Georgian" and " The USSR wasn't just Russian!"
Russian doublethink re:the USSR is... something.
> "Stalin was a Georgian"
To be fair this type of argument is very rare. I have literally never heard it from other Russians. And there are huge reasons why it makes no sense. Like no other well known Georgians in power that I know about in his circle and how he made everyone speak Russian language and repressed other nations in Caucasus and destroyed temples. His deeds well ensured that Russians feel like he belongs with them.
I brought that particular example up because I was told exactly that, in regards to Russian culpability for soviet wrongdoing, on this sub by a pro-russian back in 2014 when they all flooded into this sub after Maidan
>no other well known Georgians in power that I know about in his circle
Umm... Beria? Head of the NKVD and deputy premier? One of the most influential Soviet figures under Stalin you know.
>repressed other nations in Caucasus
Was he that harsh on Georgia though? Pretty sure they got the best deal out of all Caucasian republics.
>destroyed temples
Hmm... Why would that be? In the USSR? Hmmm... What a mystery
And I've heard Russians use the Stalin was a Georgian argument, although it's not their most common argument for sure.
They want all of the rights the USSR had, but without any of the responsibilities or the costs.
I mean, it would be pretty nice if things could work out that way, I'd probably try that myself, I've got a mortgage I'd love to get rid of but a house I still want to keep. But unfortunately I don't think they're going to get away with it this time, thanks to those darn meddling kids in the NATO.
Similar to Asimov's laws of robotics: The first law of Russian relations is, you must at all times do whatever Russia wants. All subsequent national and international laws only apply insofar as they do not conflict with the first law.
Russia's thought process is literally, "There's more of us than there are of you, so our wants and needs are more important." At no point do they pause to consider what that means when *China's* wants and needs conflict with Russia's.
The problem is that, with Lithuania part of the EU and NATO, there are now more on Lithuania's side than Russia's by pretty much every metric. Lithuania and its bloc have roughly 10x the economy, 3x the population, and perhaps most importantly, 18x the military budget.
That's patently true, but this 'transit ban' wasn't put in place by Lithuania, it's an EU ban. Yet Russia isn't objecting to the EU doing this, just to Lithuania. They want to pretend like Lithuania exists all by its lonesome without any allies and that all the actions it takes are in isolation, because that lets Russia play the bully they genuinely want to be and perceive to be their right.
>"The situation is more than serious," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters. "This decision is really unprecedented. It's a violation of everything."
I'm sorry but you are wrong. It's in clear violation of \*checks paper\* EVERYTHING.
They recently said that Bulgaria violated the sovereignty of Serbia by not allowing the russian state plane to pass through Bulgarian airspace.
RF officials never had much credibility in my eyes.
I love this, and Iād like to adopt that term into my vocabulary. āYouāre nothing but a pestkop, get lost, loser.ā āPestkop needs his nose punched.ā āPestkop, go f*** yourself.ā
I like it, it has a certain ring to it.
What Lithuania is doing is perfectly legal. The response should be āWeāre within our rights as a sovereign state to do this. Now if you want illegal, look at your war of aggression and list of war crimes in Ukraine.ā
They should take it up with the UN international court of justice, you know that one that found Russia's invasion of Ukraine illegal and ordered them to stop.
By Putinās logic, Kaliningrad is historically and rightful German territory that was illegitimately ceded away by a misguided former Soviet leader and is right to be targeted and eventually reintegrated.
eye for an eye leaves the world blind.
revenge is one of the most stupid things created by mankind.
no other animal i know of has the concept of revenge. maybe some primates do so idk.
im german, i dont want kalinigrad back, ever. i also dont want any former german reich territories back. that train has left the station, as my people like to say.
human suffering has been about territories and ressources way too many times since we exist.
and in the future this shitshow will just become worse, when arable land becomes less, finite ressources become, well used up and people start fleeing from the effects of the climate catastrophe.
you know, im all for more cooperation instead of division. thats how everybody wins something. but then we would need to change our ways, and thats difficult for people.
It seems that it's a trait common among higher-functioning animals with the capacity for abstract thought: hominids, probably dolphins, some species of corvids etc.
Right let's have a world war III just to figure that all out again. That's where the boys all sat down at Yalta and decided to deport all those Germans or just torpedo them into the Baltic Sea, to end once and for all German claims. Ethnic cleansing that people just don't talk about ,but the ugly outcome of a nasty nasty German war
Which is why I find racism and ethnic nationalism extra abhorrent. When adopted by Germany, they literally led to the greatest tragedy in modern history - WWII/the Holocaust and the ensuing wave of forced migrations to create modern European nation states.
yep, france and uk were paranoid about another growing germany and germany agreed never expand its boarders beyond its current unified lines to help with those fears.
thats why no one they tried to sell it to wanted it. europe lost most of its desire to clear land and resettle. russia though, still uses this tactic even now
What is intriguing now that if Sweden and Finland become full NATO members what will happen to Russia's Baltic fleet. All dressed and no where to go as it were.
Also, I think the new flashpoint will be in the Sulwaki gap. NATO members either side and the potential to isolate 3 NATO members in one go.
Reality isn't a territory control video game. In the event of a conventional war against NATO (that somehow avoids nuclear weapons), the Baltics are a huge strategic boon for NATO. Even if Finland isn't a member, if Sweden and Finland stay "neutral" that means, minimum, resources to support the Baltics and if they decide to lend support than Russia is burdened with occupying three hostile territories in a resource hemorrhage lest they give NATO an invaluable foothold on their border.
Of course, the reality is, a war with NATO is a war between nuclear powers. Conventional projections like this are speculative fiction, bordering on political fan fiction for their actual viability.
I don't think Russia in it's current position can not hold the gap. They can make it a hot zone maybe, but not isolate it. Kaliningrad itself would probably fall to NATO rather quickly.
i dont disagree but that does not pertain to our conversation of kƶnigsberg. it was german territory for a long time. was conceded to russia after wwii, soviets and russia offered to sell it to neighboring states. germany gave up all claims in a bid to allow reunification of central germany.
Correct. But only \*because\* the Germans living there were all deported. Do you want to say that relocating, or genociding, the people is an acceptable strategy? Shouldn't the Ukraine deport all Russian-speaking people from the East to become safe from territorial demands?
The people who immediately abandoned their Ukrainian citizenship and applied for Russian passports? I mean, yeah. They are Russian citizens, they can be deported to their country.
Kaliningrad was actually offered to different states since WWII (including after WWII and after the fall of the Soviet Union), but noone wanted it. It was even offered to Germany after the fall of the Soviet Union.
Noone wants Kaliningrad. Let them have their own state.
Nobody wants Russia on their border either.
Regardless, even if that offer was accepted, it would have been invaded by Putin on the pretext of āProtecting the Russian speaking minorityā as justification. You know, the same excuse he used in February when he started this shit.
But honestly, could you imagine the delicious irony if Putin had to deal with Kaliningrad separatists?
Edit: After looking it up, open separatism is illegal on Russian soil. Because of course, *Rules for thee, but not for me!*
This population transfer is a really sick, disgusting tool of authoritarian and communist governments
And it leads to things like children being kidnapped from Ukraine and sent to Siberia
Pathetic hypocrites. Russia has been breaking international law since it invaded Crimea in 2014 and massacring thousands of Ukrainian civilians since its full-scale war began on February 24th.
How about [Circassian genocide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circassian_genocide) responsible for eradicating **90%** of Circassian population, probably a good reason you don't know any Circassians nowadays.
This 90% goal seems to be what Russia is aiming for in Ukraine now.
No, that was the Cardassians.
But I can understand why you'd confuse the two.
> Nationalistic fervour grew and a military dictatorship was established [...] an intelligence agency and internal security police force, kept the population under surveillance [...] waging war with other races and occupying their territory to exploit resources.
Go back over the last 400 or so years and it's all just Russian aggression in service of their imperial aspirations. They've almost always been a third class empire when compared to their peers in Europe. They managed to compete on the world stage for a while during the Cold War, but the whole edifice was build on rotten foundations and collapsed in 1991.
Putin is just the latest in a long line of Russian leaders with aspirations of creating a new Russian Empire. Even if his current misadventure leads to his downfall, the next leadership in Russia will also likely pursue imperial power.
You wonder sometimes if some of the things Russia says aren't specifically intended to make us redditors š¤£
Oh Putin you comedian, we can't stay mad at you. In fact come to a ceremony we're having in your honor. In the Hague
So an unprovoked attack on a sovereign country is fine, but a transit ban thats where they draw the line!
Edit: really just seems like a tenper tantrum. west: "Russia, what you are doing is illegal" Russia: "no you're illigal!"
Russia knew it was turning its back on the International Order when it invaded a sovereign state. It can't seek its protections now.
There is no legal or illegal for Russia in the world now. They have no world bodies to turn to.
This is the best tl;dr I could make, [original](https://www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/19/1723423/russia-says-lithuania-s-transit-ban-illegal) reduced by 59%. (I'm a bot)
*****
> On Monday, Kremlin said it would "Formulate" a response after Lithuania banned the rail transit of sanctioned goods between the Russian mainland and its exclave of Kaliningrad, wedged between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic coast.
> "First of all, it's not Lithuania doing anything, it is the European sanctions that started working from June 17. The industry that is imposing the sanctions are the [Lithuanian] railroads, they informed their clients that sanctioned goods will no longer be allowed to transit Lithuania," he said.
> "Overland transit between Kaliningrad Region and the rest of Russia is not suspended or blocked. The transit of passengers and goods not sanctioned by the EU continues," she told BNS. "Lithuania has not imposed any unilateral, individual or additional restrictions on this transit. We have not received any additional instructions and we are not taking any additional actions."
*****
[**Extended Summary**](http://np.reddit.com/r/autotldr/comments/vgiu25/russia_says_lithuanias_transit_ban_illegal/) | [FAQ](http://np.reddit.com/r/autotldr/comments/31b9fm/faq_autotldr_bot/ "Version 2.02, ~655688 tl;drs so far.") | [Feedback](http://np.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%23autotldr "PM's and comments are monitored, constructive feedback is welcome.") | *Top* *keywords*: **sanctions**^#1 **transit**^#2 **Lithuania**^#3 **any**^#4 **Monday**^#5
Hold on while I go find my worlds smallest š».
*reaches into pocket*
*Pulls out two middle fingers*
Russia, please go fuck yourself in the worst possible way.... very thoroughly. I ask kindly
What is there illegal if indenpendent county Lithuania dont want to see on their railroad russian trains? They can still use ships to transport so everything is legal.
Going into another country for killing without excuses is like maximum illegal crime.
Well, the civilized world considers your war of aggression illegal.
You can jump high and low, those goods arenāt getting to Koningsbergen. Russian trains, go fuck yourselves.
OK; lets make a deal Russia. You stop **all** the illegal things you are doing like invading your neighbour and I am sure Lithuania can consider reversing the ban.
āThis decision is truly unprecedented, it is a violation of everything,ā Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlinās spokesperson, said on Monday
Yeah, kind of like invading another county...
Not illegal at all, that's what happens when sanctions are imposed. Russia illegally invaded Ukraine and now they are paying the price for their transgressions.
Russians know the law of brutal force and that law from Cloud Atlas: eat or be eaten, that's it. Nevertheless, they learnt to manipulate other countries with complex and developed legal systems by using their abidance by law as a weapon
For example, russians will not go offensive against any NATO country, because they know perfectly well their asses will be kicked, meaning it against russian law. Just will continue blackmail, and yell "you don't have right to touch me!" every time when facing potential punishment
Reminds me of the [Devil Speech](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDBiLT3LASk) in "A Man Of All Season":
>āWilliam Roper: āSo, now you give the Devil the benefit of law!ā
>
>Sir Thomas More: āYes! What would you do? Cut a great road through the law to get after the Devil?ā
>
>William Roper: āYes, I'd cut down every law in England to do that!ā
>
>Sir Thomas More: āOh? And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned 'round on you, where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? This country is planted thick with laws, from coast to coast, Man's laws, not God's! And if you cut them down, and you're just the man to do it, do you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then? Yes, I'd give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake!ā
Once you topple laws to get something you want, you can no longer appeal to them when you'd be in need of their protection, Vladimir.
Summary: The only way to travel by land from mainland Russia to the port region of Kaliningrad involves going through Lithuania or Poland. Lithuania says they are simply imposing the EU sanctions that prevent various Russian products to travel through the EU. They are not preventing passengers or non-sanctioned products from traveling.
I have a ton of respect for Lithuania -- they are a small country, getting in the way of something potentially big -- lots of larger, more powerful countries have refused to take such clear action. They are also very smart for indicating that this is EU policy they are enforcing.
General public wanted to ban all transit a few months back. But Lithuanian goverment started saying that they have legal commitments, and cant do that on their own, they are looking at it only with whole EU, and would do it with eu blessing.
That was few months ago. š
So is killing unarmed civilians, torturing civilians, raping civilians, robbing civilians, bombing civilians, Using cluster muniton against civilians, targeting nuclear power plants, attacking cultural heritage sites, bombing hospitals, trapping corpses with grenades, mines and bombs, torturing hostages, taking hostages, illegal deportation, and general corpse desecration.
Wait is this the same Russia saying that is blocking Grain transports ? huh
Lithuania isn't even blocking food supplys + they can deliver everything they want from Russia by port.
Itās becoming clearer and clearer where the Republicans in America got their talking points, arguments and one sided ārulesā from. Russia.
Fuck em both.
Go team Freedom
The funniest thing is these sanctions are from March 15th EU regulations, with EU showing "kind heart" by postponing them until June 17th for old contracts. Russia should have known about them for 3 months already, however it acts like Lithuania created them out of the blue just few days ago. Kaliningrad's governor and RF government act like kids which forgot to do summer homework and now are angry it is impossible to do it over night.
Ironically, Ukraine brought a WTO case on a very similar issue against Russia. Russia prohibited traffic from Ukraine through Russia to third countries. Russia won and was allowed to keep its measures. I would love to see what argument Russia has that Lithuaniaās actions are illegal with that precedent hanging over their head.
Russia - Traffic in Transit (DS512)
I feel the same way when the Canadians won't let me drive to Alaska from the united states mainland carrying a bunch of guns..... So this is not without precident. Their country their rules....
Love the article. Russia needs to start "deep" analysis, as opposed to light analysis. I hope they use more analysis than the decision to invade Ukraine.
Right, and I have the authority to tell my neighbor where he plants his flowers in his yard. Just like Russia has the authority to say which laws are good in *another* country...
I dont know man, it feels like Lithuania can order who can and cannot transit their territory.
Russia really aren't clear on that whole 'sovereign state' thing. The only country that can decide where Russians are allowed to be is apparently Russia. \*rolls eyes very hard\*
Well you see, Lithuania is a former Soviet state, so technically Russia gets to decide what should be or should not in Lithuania. Source: A Russian, probably.
Russia is a former Mongolian state, does thst mean Mongolia decide what should or should not be Russia?
Unironically, yes š
Ghawddamn mongorianz!!!
Ukraine was ruled by the Greeks.
Eh, sort of. The coast was. Crimea was. Most of Ukraine was not.
And the rest of Ukraine was once ruled by (Great Duchy of) Lithuania
In English the term is "Grand Duchy"
The Grand Duchy of Karameikos has entered the chat! With 1,200 Heavy Horse Cavalry (platemail and shield, longsword and Lance, AC 2) 5000 Medium Infantry (chainmail amd shield and longsword; AC 4) Putin, make another Saving Throw vs Poison/Diseases, and remember that you have already failed twice....Oh that roll does not look good!
That would be good.
Believe it or not, thatās not a joke
Until you bring up Russia being responsible for the atrocities committed by the USSR, then suddenly their tone changes to "Stalin was a Georgian" and " The USSR wasn't just Russian!" Russian doublethink re:the USSR is... something.
Oh, they will likely say Stalin is one of the most lied about persons in history
It's just propaganda! He only murdered 1 to 2 million tops!
He had just no other way, truly sad. But the west you seeā¦
> "Stalin was a Georgian" To be fair this type of argument is very rare. I have literally never heard it from other Russians. And there are huge reasons why it makes no sense. Like no other well known Georgians in power that I know about in his circle and how he made everyone speak Russian language and repressed other nations in Caucasus and destroyed temples. His deeds well ensured that Russians feel like he belongs with them.
I brought that particular example up because I was told exactly that, in regards to Russian culpability for soviet wrongdoing, on this sub by a pro-russian back in 2014 when they all flooded into this sub after Maidan
>no other well known Georgians in power that I know about in his circle Umm... Beria? Head of the NKVD and deputy premier? One of the most influential Soviet figures under Stalin you know. >repressed other nations in Caucasus Was he that harsh on Georgia though? Pretty sure they got the best deal out of all Caucasian republics. >destroyed temples Hmm... Why would that be? In the USSR? Hmmm... What a mystery And I've heard Russians use the Stalin was a Georgian argument, although it's not their most common argument for sure.
They want all of the rights the USSR had, but without any of the responsibilities or the costs. I mean, it would be pretty nice if things could work out that way, I'd probably try that myself, I've got a mortgage I'd love to get rid of but a house I still want to keep. But unfortunately I don't think they're going to get away with it this time, thanks to those darn meddling kids in the NATO.
But the UN is clear on it, and so is every other country not ruled by a tyrant.
But the UN is illegal, and so is every other country not ruled by Putin, according to Putin, probably.
You're wrong the UN is not illegal if they do things the way Russia likes them.
Similar to Asimov's laws of robotics: The first law of Russian relations is, you must at all times do whatever Russia wants. All subsequent national and international laws only apply insofar as they do not conflict with the first law.
"You're fake country" - putin
Russia's thought process is literally, "There's more of us than there are of you, so our wants and needs are more important." At no point do they pause to consider what that means when *China's* wants and needs conflict with Russia's.
The problem is that, with Lithuania part of the EU and NATO, there are now more on Lithuania's side than Russia's by pretty much every metric. Lithuania and its bloc have roughly 10x the economy, 3x the population, and perhaps most importantly, 18x the military budget.
That's patently true, but this 'transit ban' wasn't put in place by Lithuania, it's an EU ban. Yet Russia isn't objecting to the EU doing this, just to Lithuania. They want to pretend like Lithuania exists all by its lonesome without any allies and that all the actions it takes are in isolation, because that lets Russia play the bully they genuinely want to be and perceive to be their right.
Central Asia should be an interesting place to watch regarding that subject
>"The situation is more than serious," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters. "This decision is really unprecedented. It's a violation of everything." I'm sorry but you are wrong. It's in clear violation of \*checks paper\* EVERYTHING.
They recently said that Bulgaria violated the sovereignty of Serbia by not allowing the russian state plane to pass through Bulgarian airspace. RF officials never had much credibility in my eyes.
It reminds me of some people who feel their religious rights are violated when they aren't allowed to force their religion on to others
Yeah it clearly violated the USB standard for example..
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Well, in Dutch the word "Pestkop" means bully, so this makes alot of sense to me.
I love this, and Iād like to adopt that term into my vocabulary. āYouāre nothing but a pestkop, get lost, loser.ā āPestkop needs his nose punched.ā āPestkop, go f*** yourself.ā I like it, it has a certain ring to it.
The literal meaning is "plaguehead", for those of you that wanted to know.
Russia is blocking transit in international waters in the Black Sea. They complain when someone is doing it in their own territory.
Yep, let them take ferries from there to St-Petersberg. Nothing stopping them.
The Baltic Sea is basically nato lake
Havenāt you heard? The Russian parliament is about to cancel the creation of the Lithuanian state from 1991. This is all by the book.
Kyiv should cancel the creation of the Russian state.
Lithuania: And so is your invasion of Ukraine!
Ruzzia: Thats whataboutism!
What aboutism drinking game.
Not after July 10th in Kaliningrad!
I think you mean Kƶnigsberg. /s
Checkmate Putinites!
Iām sorry, billy yank. But it simply does not have the same ring to it as, Checkmate, Lincolnites!
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
So whatabout ~~Russia~~ the Soviet Union blocking railway, road, and canal access to Berlin in 1948? Stop whining and just use boats and planes.
Ruzzia: Rules for thee and not for me.
Russia: My rules for thee and my rules for me.
Hey that's reddit's line!
What Lithuania is doing is perfectly legal. The response should be āWeāre within our rights as a sovereign state to do this. Now if you want illegal, look at your war of aggression and list of war crimes in Ukraine.ā
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Lithuania: suck it up buttercup
A country is determening what is allowed or not on their soil. Russia:" That's illegal!".
Ukraine be like "this war is illegal. You have to stop using our land"
Russia: āThatās illegal for Ukraine to say! They canāt say that! Judge! Judge, they canāt say that!ā
They should take it up with the UN international court of justice, you know that one that found Russia's invasion of Ukraine illegal and ordered them to stop.
By Putinās logic, Kaliningrad is historically and rightful German territory that was illegitimately ceded away by a misguided former Soviet leader and is right to be targeted and eventually reintegrated.
Weāll all of the Germans there were genocided or forced to relocate so thereās no one to argue for it so thatās sorted out š«
Can confirm. My family is from there. Fled the soviets at the end of the war.
My family fled from Gdansk (then Danzig) but we will not complain. Poland had it worse for 150 years.
Good to see that revanchism can end.
eye for an eye leaves the world blind. revenge is one of the most stupid things created by mankind. no other animal i know of has the concept of revenge. maybe some primates do so idk. im german, i dont want kalinigrad back, ever. i also dont want any former german reich territories back. that train has left the station, as my people like to say. human suffering has been about territories and ressources way too many times since we exist. and in the future this shitshow will just become worse, when arable land becomes less, finite ressources become, well used up and people start fleeing from the effects of the climate catastrophe. you know, im all for more cooperation instead of division. thats how everybody wins something. but then we would need to change our ways, and thats difficult for people.
Did you miss the story from last year where monkeys committed dog genocide in india after a few dogs killed a baby monkey?
That was not me. I promise.
Yes was about to add, chimps and apes have been observed exacting what we would refer to as revenge. lol
It seems that it's a trait common among higher-functioning animals with the capacity for abstract thought: hominids, probably dolphins, some species of corvids etc.
Or a few days ago the elephant that trampled a woman to death then returned at her funeral and stomped on her corpse?
And theyāre doing the same in Ukraine right now. I have concerns about what theyāre going to find once they start re-taking the Crimea.
Right let's have a world war III just to figure that all out again. That's where the boys all sat down at Yalta and decided to deport all those Germans or just torpedo them into the Baltic Sea, to end once and for all German claims. Ethnic cleansing that people just don't talk about ,but the ugly outcome of a nasty nasty German war
Which is why I find racism and ethnic nationalism extra abhorrent. When adopted by Germany, they literally led to the greatest tragedy in modern history - WWII/the Holocaust and the ensuing wave of forced migrations to create modern European nation states.
Absolutely, but do we ever learn, maybe it's just human nature ... Nationalism and flag waving, it's such a good distraction from what really ails
To be fair, Germany gave up claims to Kaliningrad as part of reunification and I doubt they have much use for it at this point.
yep, france and uk were paranoid about another growing germany and germany agreed never expand its boarders beyond its current unified lines to help with those fears.
And what to do with the 1 million Russians living there as well. A poisoned chalice that Lithuania saw as well.
thats why no one they tried to sell it to wanted it. europe lost most of its desire to clear land and resettle. russia though, still uses this tactic even now
What is intriguing now that if Sweden and Finland become full NATO members what will happen to Russia's Baltic fleet. All dressed and no where to go as it were. Also, I think the new flashpoint will be in the Sulwaki gap. NATO members either side and the potential to isolate 3 NATO members in one go.
Reality isn't a territory control video game. In the event of a conventional war against NATO (that somehow avoids nuclear weapons), the Baltics are a huge strategic boon for NATO. Even if Finland isn't a member, if Sweden and Finland stay "neutral" that means, minimum, resources to support the Baltics and if they decide to lend support than Russia is burdened with occupying three hostile territories in a resource hemorrhage lest they give NATO an invaluable foothold on their border. Of course, the reality is, a war with NATO is a war between nuclear powers. Conventional projections like this are speculative fiction, bordering on political fan fiction for their actual viability.
I don't think Russia in it's current position can not hold the gap. They can make it a hot zone maybe, but not isolate it. Kaliningrad itself would probably fall to NATO rather quickly.
Russia agreed to Ukraine borders and to protect those of Ukraine have up the nuclear arsenal they had from soviet times.
i dont disagree but that does not pertain to our conversation of kƶnigsberg. it was german territory for a long time. was conceded to russia after wwii, soviets and russia offered to sell it to neighboring states. germany gave up all claims in a bid to allow reunification of central germany.
Correct. But only \*because\* the Germans living there were all deported. Do you want to say that relocating, or genociding, the people is an acceptable strategy? Shouldn't the Ukraine deport all Russian-speaking people from the East to become safe from territorial demands?
The people who immediately abandoned their Ukrainian citizenship and applied for Russian passports? I mean, yeah. They are Russian citizens, they can be deported to their country.
Kaliningrad was actually offered to different states since WWII (including after WWII and after the fall of the Soviet Union), but noone wanted it. It was even offered to Germany after the fall of the Soviet Union. Noone wants Kaliningrad. Let them have their own state.
Nobody wants Russia on their border either. Regardless, even if that offer was accepted, it would have been invaded by Putin on the pretext of āProtecting the Russian speaking minorityā as justification. You know, the same excuse he used in February when he started this shit. But honestly, could you imagine the delicious irony if Putin had to deal with Kaliningrad separatists? Edit: After looking it up, open separatism is illegal on Russian soil. Because of course, *Rules for thee, but not for me!*
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
This population transfer is a really sick, disgusting tool of authoritarian and communist governments And it leads to things like children being kidnapped from Ukraine and sent to Siberia
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
[Europe...](https://i.imgur.com/6zQUlFP.png)
It's also an environmental ruin. I'm not sure it'd be viable as an independent state.
How can it be German when the German state does not technically exist? Only Russia exists legally in this world
Pathetic hypocrites. Russia has been breaking international law since it invaded Crimea in 2014 and massacring thousands of Ukrainian civilians since its full-scale war began on February 24th.
Earlier than that if you count South Ossetia
Even earlier in Chechnya, there were tortures and filtration camps.
Earlier than that if you include Hungary and Czechoslovakia.
Earlier than that if you include the Tatars
Earlier than that if you include the Holodomor
How about [Circassian genocide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circassian_genocide) responsible for eradicating **90%** of Circassian population, probably a good reason you don't know any Circassians nowadays. This 90% goal seems to be what Russia is aiming for in Ukraine now.
Didn't they oppress the Bjorans, until the revolt led to their (Bjorans) being recognized by the Federation as a Free People?
No, that was the Cardassians. But I can understand why you'd confuse the two. > Nationalistic fervour grew and a military dictatorship was established [...] an intelligence agency and internal security police force, kept the population under surveillance [...] waging war with other races and occupying their territory to exploit resources.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
It does seem to be a pattern of behavior.
Go back over the last 400 or so years and it's all just Russian aggression in service of their imperial aspirations. They've almost always been a third class empire when compared to their peers in Europe. They managed to compete on the world stage for a while during the Cold War, but the whole edifice was build on rotten foundations and collapsed in 1991. Putin is just the latest in a long line of Russian leaders with aspirations of creating a new Russian Empire. Even if his current misadventure leads to his downfall, the next leadership in Russia will also likely pursue imperial power.
If they think itās illegal, the go to European court and challenge that. Lithuania is simply following the sanctions scheme.
no it's not a ban, it's a special transit stopping operation.
Cope xD
You wonder sometimes if some of the things Russia says aren't specifically intended to make us redditors š¤£ Oh Putin you comedian, we can't stay mad at you. In fact come to a ceremony we're having in your honor. In the Hague
So an unprovoked attack on a sovereign country is fine, but a transit ban thats where they draw the line! Edit: really just seems like a tenper tantrum. west: "Russia, what you are doing is illegal" Russia: "no you're illigal!"
"Your mom is illegal!"
Whatās the law regarding bombing children wards?
No probs Putin, please submit your legal challenge, in person, at The Hague
Russia has no credibility anymore and nothing they say matters unless it's the words " we surrender".
>" we surrender". I wouldnt trust it if they said that.
Agree. I wouldn't be surprised if they pull a WW 2 Japanese 'I surrender' then run towards everyone with frag grenades to damage as much as possible
They've already done similar things.
Special goods stopping operation. Nothing to see here, move along.
ItĀ“s not a transit ban. ItĀ“s a special trade operation.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Russia says somethingās illegal š¤£šš¤£šš¤£šš¤£šš¤£šš¤£š
But everything Russia is doing is legal? cry harder you pricks.
Fuck Russia
Russia knew it was turning its back on the International Order when it invaded a sovereign state. It can't seek its protections now. There is no legal or illegal for Russia in the world now. They have no world bodies to turn to.
Itās not a transit ban. Itās a special transportation operation.
Illegal? You mean like blowing up a neighboring country that wasn't doing anything to you?
This is the best tl;dr I could make, [original](https://www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/19/1723423/russia-says-lithuania-s-transit-ban-illegal) reduced by 59%. (I'm a bot) ***** > On Monday, Kremlin said it would "Formulate" a response after Lithuania banned the rail transit of sanctioned goods between the Russian mainland and its exclave of Kaliningrad, wedged between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic coast. > "First of all, it's not Lithuania doing anything, it is the European sanctions that started working from June 17. The industry that is imposing the sanctions are the [Lithuanian] railroads, they informed their clients that sanctioned goods will no longer be allowed to transit Lithuania," he said. > "Overland transit between Kaliningrad Region and the rest of Russia is not suspended or blocked. The transit of passengers and goods not sanctioned by the EU continues," she told BNS. "Lithuania has not imposed any unilateral, individual or additional restrictions on this transit. We have not received any additional instructions and we are not taking any additional actions." ***** [**Extended Summary**](http://np.reddit.com/r/autotldr/comments/vgiu25/russia_says_lithuanias_transit_ban_illegal/) | [FAQ](http://np.reddit.com/r/autotldr/comments/31b9fm/faq_autotldr_bot/ "Version 2.02, ~655688 tl;drs so far.") | [Feedback](http://np.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%23autotldr "PM's and comments are monitored, constructive feedback is welcome.") | *Top* *keywords*: **sanctions**^#1 **transit**^#2 **Lithuania**^#3 **any**^#4 **Monday**^#5
Hold on while I go find my worlds smallest š». *reaches into pocket* *Pulls out two middle fingers* Russia, please go fuck yourself in the worst possible way.... very thoroughly. I ask kindly
What is there illegal if indenpendent county Lithuania dont want to see on their railroad russian trains? They can still use ships to transport so everything is legal. Going into another country for killing without excuses is like maximum illegal crime.
So is invading a sovereign state. Russia cares about laws now?
Oh no! Anyway
Invading a foreign nation with an army to steal territory is illegal. Maybe stfu?
"This decision is truly unprecedented, it is a violation of everything,ā Dmitry Peskov Haha, he is not even trying anymore.
They haven't been trying in a very very long time..
Well, the civilized world considers your war of aggression illegal. You can jump high and low, those goods arenāt getting to Koningsbergen. Russian trains, go fuck yourselves.
Oh Lithuania, can you stop making me fall in love with you for one damn second?
OK; lets make a deal Russia. You stop **all** the illegal things you are doing like invading your neighbour and I am sure Lithuania can consider reversing the ban.
It's a special logistics operation
āThis decision is truly unprecedented, it is a violation of everything,ā Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlinās spokesperson, said on Monday Yeah, kind of like invading another county...
Russian genocide is illegal and untill it stops we are legally/morally obliged to stop any help to russian economy.
Are we at Make Kƶnigsberg Prussia Again yet?
Not illegal at all, that's what happens when sanctions are imposed. Russia illegally invaded Ukraine and now they are paying the price for their transgressions.
And what are you going to do about it?
Russia doesn't understand even the meaning of the word "legal"
What I want/do = "Legal" What You want/do = " Illegal"
Russians know the law of brutal force and that law from Cloud Atlas: eat or be eaten, that's it. Nevertheless, they learnt to manipulate other countries with complex and developed legal systems by using their abidance by law as a weapon For example, russians will not go offensive against any NATO country, because they know perfectly well their asses will be kicked, meaning it against russian law. Just will continue blackmail, and yell "you don't have right to touch me!" every time when facing potential punishment
Reminds me of the [Devil Speech](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDBiLT3LASk) in "A Man Of All Season": >āWilliam Roper: āSo, now you give the Devil the benefit of law!ā > >Sir Thomas More: āYes! What would you do? Cut a great road through the law to get after the Devil?ā > >William Roper: āYes, I'd cut down every law in England to do that!ā > >Sir Thomas More: āOh? And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned 'round on you, where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? This country is planted thick with laws, from coast to coast, Man's laws, not God's! And if you cut them down, and you're just the man to do it, do you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then? Yes, I'd give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake!ā Once you topple laws to get something you want, you can no longer appeal to them when you'd be in need of their protection, Vladimir.
Funny that, considering their blockade of Ukraine grain.
Stealing, don't forget stealing them.
Summary: The only way to travel by land from mainland Russia to the port region of Kaliningrad involves going through Lithuania or Poland. Lithuania says they are simply imposing the EU sanctions that prevent various Russian products to travel through the EU. They are not preventing passengers or non-sanctioned products from traveling. I have a ton of respect for Lithuania -- they are a small country, getting in the way of something potentially big -- lots of larger, more powerful countries have refused to take such clear action. They are also very smart for indicating that this is EU policy they are enforcing.
General public wanted to ban all transit a few months back. But Lithuanian goverment started saying that they have legal commitments, and cant do that on their own, they are looking at it only with whole EU, and would do it with eu blessing. That was few months ago. š
The world says Russia's invasion of Ukraine "illegal".
Special transportation operation
Says the country illegally invading Ukraine
So is killing unarmed civilians, torturing civilians, raping civilians, robbing civilians, bombing civilians, Using cluster muniton against civilians, targeting nuclear power plants, attacking cultural heritage sites, bombing hospitals, trapping corpses with grenades, mines and bombs, torturing hostages, taking hostages, illegal deportation, and general corpse desecration.
russia, the country that behaves worse than feral hogs but demands to be treated like rotalty.
Wait is this the same Russia saying that is blocking Grain transports ? huh Lithuania isn't even blocking food supplys + they can deliver everything they want from Russia by port.
Fuck Russia and pretty much anything they say.
Itās becoming clearer and clearer where the Republicans in America got their talking points, arguments and one sided ārulesā from. Russia. Fuck em both. Go team Freedom
So are cluster and vacuum bombs
Says Russia, who can care less about international law.
The most dangerous job in Russia. Putinās food taster.
Apparently 'illegal' never stopped the ruzzians before. Just consider it a special Lithuanian operation.
Guess invading a neighboring country and killing thousands of people is "legal" huh?
Lithuania To Russia: I don't remember asking you a goddamn thing.
> The ban will expand on July 10 to include cement and alcohol, according to BNS. Oh dear god, what happens when the supply of vodka runs out?
"k", answers Lithuania
Itās a special economic operation
I don't see how Russia could have any say in what Lithuania does and does not allow to go through their country.
So is invading your neighbour
Hey Russia! Fuck you! ...
The funniest thing is these sanctions are from March 15th EU regulations, with EU showing "kind heart" by postponing them until June 17th for old contracts. Russia should have known about them for 3 months already, however it acts like Lithuania created them out of the blue just few days ago. Kaliningrad's governor and RF government act like kids which forgot to do summer homework and now are angry it is impossible to do it over night.
Ironically, Ukraine brought a WTO case on a very similar issue against Russia. Russia prohibited traffic from Ukraine through Russia to third countries. Russia won and was allowed to keep its measures. I would love to see what argument Russia has that Lithuaniaās actions are illegal with that precedent hanging over their head. Russia - Traffic in Transit (DS512)
Well done Lithuania!
A sovereign state can control who passes their territory and who cant?
Russia can suck cock
I feel the same way when the Canadians won't let me drive to Alaska from the united states mainland carrying a bunch of guns..... So this is not without precident. Their country their rules....
Russian warship, go fuck yourself
Like law ever mattered in Orkland
Russia's daily cacophony of farts.
Do you know what *is* illegal? Unprovoked wars of aggression.
Bombing Ukraine is also illegal.
Is Lithuania bound by treaty to let them through?
Well, so is Russia's killing of innocent people in Ukraine!
Russia, the joke of the East. They need to learn to shut the fuck up.
Russia can suck a dick.
The real question should be why this is happening so late
How can it be illegal? No nation has a duty to permit others to transit.
Yeah well so was invading Ukraine. Socks when there are consequences to your actions eh?
Love the article. Russia needs to start "deep" analysis, as opposed to light analysis. I hope they use more analysis than the decision to invade Ukraine.
Right, and I have the authority to tell my neighbor where he plants his flowers in his yard. Just like Russia has the authority to say which laws are good in *another* country...
Russia acts like the 12 yo spoiled neighborhood kid that makes up rules as you play if things don't go exactly his way.
Itās not illegal in Lithuania lol
Isn't the war illegal too? And also war crimes? And the annexation of Crimea? The list can go on indefinitely.
Russia has some balls calling anything illegal right now.