Russia facing breakup as separatists in Kaliningrad vow to break from Moscow

Vladimir Putin, already bogged down in Ukraine, could soon face a rebellion within Russia’s own border with tensions in Kaliningrad threatening to spark demands for a total split from Moscow’s orbit. The enclave, centred on what was historically the Prussian city of Königsberg, has been under Russian control, since the end of the Second World War. Though political activists under the banner of ‘The Baltic Republican Party’ believe the moment has come for the Russian oblast which sits between Poland and Lithuania to follow Ukraine and side with Europe in rejecting Putin’s rule.

He told Express.co.uk: “More people are getting to know about us despite of Kremlin’s censorship and terror.”

A referendum conducted in March, which was reported by the news website TVP.INFO, suggests that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s lofty ambitions to revive the Soviet Union may be taking an unexpected turn.

The idea of secession and the creation of an independent state appears to have the backing of the majority of Kaliningrad’s citizens.

According to the survey, 72.1 per cent of participants in the Kaliningrad oblast express a wish to leave the Russian Federation.

The Baltic Republican Party lost its official status as a political party on March 26, 2003, due to the new Russian Law on political parties, which required parties to have regional branches in at least half of the Russian Federation’s constituents.

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However, Mr Vasiliev believes a political path remains open for a movement aimed at establishing an autonomous Baltic Republic.

He stressed to Express.co.uk that the Baltic Republican Party does not promote violence in pursuit of this goal, though it is the party’s unwavering belief that whether in the long or short term, “Koenigsberg belongs to Europe!”

Mr Vasiliev told Express.co.uk: “The Baltic Republican Party is not a bloodthirsty Party even towards our enemies.

“We are for a peaceful solution and always ready for talks and cooperation. I am not responsible for Kremlin and other sides. They do have other ideas, not peaceful.

“One thing for sure to us, long term or a short one, Koenigsberg is Europe!”

Königsberg has a long history dating back to 1255 when it was established on the grounds of a Prussian settlement.

It later became the capital of East Prussia and the ceremonial city for Prussian monarchy coronations. From 1466 to 1657, the city was under Polish control as a fiefdom.

Russia obtained Königsberg, also known as Królewiec, through conquest in 1945.

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