Last month, Politico publication called the Suwalki Gap “the most dangerous place on earth”. While some residents of the region say they do not feel more threatened than the rest of Lithuania, others admit feeling anxious and are even stockpiling food in preparation for the possibility of war.
The so-called Suwalki Gap is an 80-kilometre stretch of land on the Polish-Lithuanian border. Separating Russia’s exclave of Kaliningrad and Belarus, it has also been dubbed NATO’s Achilles Heel. The alliance has stressed that if the corridor was seized during an armed conflict, the Baltic states would be cut off from the rest of NATO.
Read more: Lithuania faces off with Russia over Kaliningrad. What's happening?
Residents of the Suwalki Gap in Lithuania, however, do not dramatize the title of “the most dangerous place on earth” that Politico attached to their region.
“We don’t think it’s more dangerous to live here than elsewhere in Lithuania. It’s the same danger everywhere,” says a family in the town of Lazdijai, some seven kilometres from the border with Poland.
However, other Lazdijai residents were more concerned.
“We are ready to die first because it is impossible to predict what he might send here, that devil’s chunk,” a woman from the town says, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Secret plans
A few decades ago, the Lazdijai district had a population of close to 50,000 people. Today, around 18,000 people live here.
When asked if there are any measures in place in case the situation in the Suwalki Gap escalates, Lazdijai Mayor Ausma Miškinienė says there is a plan, but it is a state secret.
“We believe that we are all prepared and that those who are most responsible have concrete action plans in place and will certainly be able to protect us,” Miškinienė told LRT RADIO, adding that the plans in question were drawn up not by the municipality but by the responsible ministries and the armed forces.
“Knowing the current threats, we should think not only about the army, deployment, and security, but we have to ensure in parallel that we have access to Poland, that the land roads are accessible, that they are invested in, that both military equipment and people can move comfortably and quickly,” the mayor added.
According to Miškinienė, Lazdijai Hospital should also be treated more seriously than other hospitals in small Lithuanian towns because “it is here, in the Suwalki Gap”.
Stockpiling food
Sangrūda village in Kalvarija District is also just a few kilometres from the border with Poland.
When asked how they feel living in “the most dangerous place on earth”, locals have various opinions about it.
“Well, we feel bad, but so what? We live here, and that’s it. It’s worrying, but where can we go?” says one Sangrūda resident.
“Nothing will change, [if Russia invades]. I would just take my backpack and look for somewhere to hide [...]. I don’t have a basement, I don’t know where I would run to,” adds another.
On the Polish side, in the village of Puńsk, locals also say they feel anxious and are even preparing for possible escalation.
“There is always fear, there is danger. It remains to be seen what will happen. Nothing is visible yet, but there is some uneasiness,” says Cecilia, a saleswoman at a local shop, adding that people are not planning to leave Puńsk yet.
Her colleague Dalia admits that she has been stockpiling food since February.
“We live right next to the border, two kilometres from the Lithuanian border. I know that this is the most dangerous of borders because there is a line between Lithuania, Kaliningrad, and us. It is the so-called Suwalki triangle, a corridor,” she says. “I’m stockpiling food, the basics: flour, sugar, oil, and salt.”
Polish-Lithuanian Tomas also says he has a plan in case Russia attacks but is not planning to leave the Suwalki Gap himself.
“To be honest, I feel very insecure. I have family here – my children, my parents. Of course, I have a plan. I’m going to send my family as fast as I can towards the West, and […] I would stay here and defend what is mine, what is ours. If all the men run away, who will defend here? Someone has to stay,” Tomas says.
Meanwhile, other residents of Puńsk say they see no reason to be worried about their security and are more concerned about rising prices.
According to Vytautas Liškauskas, the governor of Puńsk, the authorities in Warsaw are not helping the region, which is already suffering from economic losses, enough.
“We are a bit sad that tourists refuse to come to the Suwalki Triangle, especially from abroad. [...] Apparently, people are afraid to come to this region for holidays because they do not know whether we will be hit by some explosions one morning or night. Anything is possible here,” he says.
“As far as I observe people, they listen to the news, they think about it, but maybe their inner logic says that it is not possible. So we live our own lives. You cannot panic because that is the worst thing, but you have to be prepared for everything. I miss the attention of the authorities in Warsaw, explaining to people how things will be if war breaks out,” the governor of Puńsk adds.
Catchy phrase
According to Politico, the Suwalki Gap is “the most dangerous place on earth” because if Russia and NATO were to clash, the string of land on the Polish-Lithuanian border would likely be the first point of contact.
However, such a scenario is unlikely, says Kęstutis Kilinskas, a PhD in history at Vilnius University (VU).
“This is an important area, but it seems to me that the article in question reflects a tendency to use catchy phrases in order to attract attention, especially in times of war when the society is tense. I think that the situation is certainly not as dramatic as is suggested,” Kilinskas says.
“The article [...] ignores various studies by analysts, military officers, both NATO and the Baltic states, which have been carried out over the last seven or eight years, on both the Kaliningrad and the Suwalki corridor. The risk of such a collision is low, at least as far as these assessments show,” he added.
The text was prepared by Vismantas Žuklevičius.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
