Kaliningrad is a Russian semi-enclave on the Baltic Sea (Image: Getty)
Despite it being in the middle of Europe and more than 270 miles from the country’s western border, a piece of land the size of Botswana remains under Russian control.
Kaliningrad Oblast is the westernmost point of the Russian Federation. It is a semi-enclave on the Baltic Sea beside Poland and Lituania.
The territory was formerly the northern part of East Prussia; the remaining southern part of the province is today part of the Warmian–Masurian Voivodeship in Poland.
After the defeat of Nazi Germany in the Second World War, the German-conquered territory was given to the Soviet Union in the Potsdam Agreement, when Germany was demilitarised and split among the allied forces.
Lithuanians were allowed to remain but the German population were expelled, leaving the territory to be repopulated with Soviet citizens, mostly Russians, who renamed and rebuilt the city.
Kaliningrad was given to Russia after the Second World War (Image: Getty)
The dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left Kaliningrad Oblast isolated from the rest of . Poland and Lithuania both joining NATO and the EU has led to stronger border controls on the semi-enclave.
Germany, Lithuania and Poland have renewed contact with Kaliningrad Oblast, through town twinning and other projects. This has helped to promote interest in the history and culture of the East Prussian and Lietuvininkai communities.
But after the Russian invasion of in 2022, Lithuania imposed EU sanctions, blocking about 50% of goods from entering Kaliningrad by rail, not including food and medicine. In response, increased shipments by sea.
Poland announced it would be referring to the region as Obwód Królewiecki, Królewiecki being the historic Polish name for the city.
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The reason given was that Mikhail Kalinin, the member of the Soviet Politburo who the city was named for, was among those responsible for a massacre of over 20,000 Polish prisoners of war in 1940.
The largest city and administrative centre of the province is Kaliningrad, where half of the 490,000-person population lives. It has been named ’s best city and it’s best for business.
Kaliningrad is home to the headquarters of the Baltic Fleet of the Russian Navy, and is one of the largest industrial centres in .
The port city of Baltiysk is ‘s only port on the Baltic Sea that remains ice-free all year round. It is connected to St Petersburg by ferry.