Most are unaware of the Lithuanian blockade preventing the flow of goods into Kaliningrad. Fewer still understand the significance of this strategic area, a small plot of land that may very well touch off a world war between Russia and her allies and NATO.

What is the key to understanding the gravity of the Lithuanian blockade and Kaliningrad's strategic importance to Russia?

Kaliningrad is the headquarters of Russia's Baltic Sea Fleet.

Just what is Kaliningrad?

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Basically, it is a 160-square mile plot of land called an oblast by Russia, a word that translates roughly into  "province." It sits between Lithuania and Poland. It is accessible by land via an avenue known as the Suwalki Gap, a narrow corridor extending about 50 miles from the Russian forces stationed in the nation of Belarus and the Russian territory of Kaliningrad, which is situated on the Baltic Sea coast.