If Russia is made to give up Kaliningrad, who should it go to?

[Helsinkian]

Since Russia has decided that it has the right to annex parts of its neighbours citing "historical reasons", surely the status of Kaliningrad, a forward operating base in the middle of NATO, must be discussed as well.

[PSOL]

It should be decided by the people living in Kaliningrad.

[Zaybay]

It would be difficult to give that region to anyone but Russia. Thanks to their resettlement policy, the region is almost 90% ethnic Russian, and by giving this territory to someone, such as Poland, tensions could blare. The most likely result is either Russia keeps it, or it receives independence of some form.

[Velasco]

You should type "Königsberg". The region is called "Ostpreußen" and comprises the Kaliningrad Oblast in Russia, the Klaioeda region in Lithuania and the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship in Poland. This is the extent of the historical region, as any Prussian irredentist must know.

[ag]

This could only happen at the end of a major war during which the area is largely depopulated. Or else, if Russia itself disintegrates into numerous small "principalities".  In both cases, the enormity of the event would be such that Kaliningrad issue would be a minor distraction.

Otherwise, as people said here: the current population fully identifies as Russian and that is, basically, it. Two injustices do not make a justice. In the same way that Nazi crimes should not have justified removing the civilian population of Konigsberg, nothing that Russia does would justify doing the same with the population of Kaliningrad. And modern Kaliningraders are Russian. Furthermore, touching borders in Europe is a very dangerous thing. This particular issue is settled: it should not be reopened. I could see some formal German role for maintaining cultural and architectural heritage, though. And it would be great for Russians to acknowledge the original injustice.

Resist Russia when it attacks, by all means. But do not justify its own irredentism and paranoia. Russians should know that their claims are unacceptable: not that others are trying to model their own policies on them.

[Santander]

Russia should annex the Baltics.

[Helsinkian]

Russia should annex the Baltics.

Mongolia should annex Siberia.

[Omega21]

This could only happen at the end of a major war during which the area is largely depopulated. Or else, if Russia itself disintegrates into numerous small "principalities".  In both cases, the enormity of the event would be such that Kaliningrad issue would be a minor distraction.

Otherwise, as people said here: the current population fully identifies as Russian and that is, basically, it. Two injustices do not make a justice. In the same way that Nazi crimes should not have justified removing the civilian population of Konigsberg, nothing that Russia does would justify doing the same with the population of Kaliningrad. And modern Kaliningraders are Russian. Furthermore, touching borders in Europe is a very dangerous thing. This particular issue is settled: it should not be reopened. I could see some formal German role for maintaining cultural and architectural heritage, though. And it would be great for Russians to acknowledge the original injustice.

Resist Russia when it attacks, by all means. But do not justify its own irredentism and paranoia. Russians should know that their claims are unacceptable: not that others are trying to model their own policies on them.

I have to fully agree with this, well said.

[Woody]

If this scenario were to happen Germany should probably consider forcefully deporting the descendants of the Russian/bolshevik colonisers back to Russia, replace them with ethnic Germans, destroy the russian made monuments and rename the city back to Königsburg.

[Arturo Belano]

Kalinjingrad je Srbija

[Frodo]

Russia should annex the Baltics.

Mongolia should annex Siberia.

China should annex Mongolia and Siberia.

[DavidB.]

Germany certainly has the strongest claim.

[Lechasseur]

Germany certainly has the strongest claim.

[Santander]

Germany certainly has the strongest claim.

I certainly look forward to Germany expanding eastward again.

[President Johnson]

Germany of course. I'd even trade it for Saxony, which should be expelled from Germany and the EU and serve as a retreat for deplorable AfD supporters.

[DavidB.]

Germany of course. I'd even trade it for Saxony, which should be expelled from Germany and the EU and serve as a retreat for deplorable AfD supporters.

The fact that this is coming from an SPD member says enough. Will be laughing when you inevitably hit the PvdA support level.

[President Johnson]

Germany of course. I'd even trade it for Saxony, which should be expelled from Germany and the EU and serve as a retreat for deplorable AfD supporters.

The fact that this is coming from an SPD member says enough. Will be laughing when you inevitably hit the PvdA support level.

It was sarcasm, obviously

[Cashew]

It would be difficult to give that region to anyone but Russia. Thanks to their resettlement policy, the region is almost 90% ethnic Russian, and by giving this territory to someone, such as Poland, tensions could blare. The most likely result is either Russia keeps it, or it receives independence of some form.

This could only happen at the end of a major war during which the area is largely depopulated. Or else, if Russia itself disintegrates into numerous small "principalities".  In both cases, the enormity of the event would be such that Kaliningrad issue would be a minor distraction.

Otherwise, as people said here: the current population fully identifies as Russian and that is, basically, it. Two injustices do not make a justice. In the same way that Nazi crimes should not have justified removing the civilian population of Konigsberg, nothing that Russia does would justify doing the same with the population of Kaliningrad. And modern Kaliningraders are Russian. Furthermore, touching borders in Europe is a very dangerous thing. This particular issue is settled: it should not be reopened. I could see some formal German role for maintaining cultural and architectural heritage, though. And it would be great for Russians to acknowledge the original injustice.

Resist Russia when it attacks, by all means. But do not justify its own irredentism and paranoia. Russians should know that their claims are unacceptable: not that others are trying to model their own policies on them.

If this scenario were to happen Germany should probably consider forcefully deporting the descendants of the Russian/bolshevik colonisers back to Russia, replace them with ethnic Germans, destroy the russian made monuments and rename the city back to Königsburg.

You all misspelled ethnic cleansing.

[ag]

It would be difficult to give that region to anyone but Russia. Thanks to their resettlement policy, the region is almost 90% ethnic Russian, and by giving this territory to someone, such as Poland, tensions could blare. The most likely result is either Russia keeps it, or it receives independence of some form.

This could only happen at the end of a major war during which the area is largely depopulated. Or else, if Russia itself disintegrates into numerous small "principalities".  In both cases, the enormity of the event would be such that Kaliningrad issue would be a minor distraction.

Otherwise, as people said here: the current population fully identifies as Russian and that is, basically, it. Two injustices do not make a justice. In the same way that Nazi crimes should not have justified removing the civilian population of Konigsberg, nothing that Russia does would justify doing the same with the population of Kaliningrad. And modern Kaliningraders are Russian. Furthermore, touching borders in Europe is a very dangerous thing. This particular issue is settled: it should not be reopened. I could see some formal German role for maintaining cultural and architectural heritage, though. And it would be great for Russians to acknowledge the original injustice.

Resist Russia when it attacks, by all means. But do not justify its own irredentism and paranoia. Russians should know that their claims are unacceptable: not that others are trying to model their own policies on them.

If this scenario were to happen Germany should probably consider forcefully deporting the descendants of the Russian/bolshevik colonisers back to Russia, replace them with ethnic Germans, destroy the russian made monuments and rename the city back to Königsburg.

You all misspelled ethnic cleansing.

Would be anachronistic to apply that term to the 1940s, wouldn't it?

[DPKdebator]

Considering for most of modern history Kaliningrad was Prussia, Germany would be the most natural choice.

[Kingpoleon]

Considering for most of modern history Kaliningrad was Prussia, Germany would be the most natural choice.

For that matter, look at Poland... the territory it was granted after WWII was punitive against Germany, and directly led to the death of hundreds of thousands of ethnic Germans who historically lived there.

[DPKdebator]

Considering for most of modern history Kaliningrad was Prussia, Germany would be the most natural choice.

For that matter, look at Poland... the territory it was granted after WWII was punitive against Germany, and directly led to the death of hundreds of thousands of ethnic Germans who historically lived there.

What the Nazis did to their victims was absolutely horrendous, but it was wrong of the Allies to create an environment that allowed for even more people to be uprooted from their ancestral homelands or killed.

[ag]

Considering for most of modern history Kaliningrad was Prussia, Germany would be the most natural choice.

At this point, none of historic Prussia belongs to Germany. We forget about his because for much of its history the name "Prussia" was associated with Brandenburg, but Markgraviate/Electorate of Brandenburg was, originally, quite separate from the Duchy of Prussia. The latter was not even part of the Holy Roman Empire, but rather was a fief of the Kingdom of Poland (though the Dukes themselves were German). In later years, Dukes of Prussia, while remaining Polish vassals, became also rulers of Brandenburg, which, indeed was a German state and a part of the Holy Roman Empire. But this was a personal union and the countries retained distinct existene for a while longer. Later, the rulers of Prussia were able to get full independence from Poland, which allowed them to declare themselves Kings. Naturally, "King of Prussia" sounded better than "Elector of Brandenburg"(and implied freedom from any feudal submission), so that is what they became known as.

And, of course, the name "Prussia" itself refers to the original people populating the land, the Old Prussians, who were neither Germans nor Poles, but, rather, a Baltic people, related to Lithuanians and Latvians.

In any case, none of the old Duchy of Prussia is within German boundaries. It is split between Lithuania (Memel/Klaipeda), Russia (Konigsberg/Kaliningrad) and Poland (the rest).  Lithuanians have claims there based on the fact that Old Prussians, like themselves, were Balts, and Poles, of course, were the old sovereigns of the territory even for much of the Hohenzollern rule. Of course, Russians have pretty much no historical claim whatsoever: it is a spoil of war, pure and simple. But after 73 years there is very little that can be done, which would not involve, hmm, yes... I guess ethnic cleansing.

Germany, of course, retains Brandenburg (including Berlin) - but that only became "Prussia" at a pretty late date. There is a good reason why the current German Land is not called Prussia, but Brandenburg - that is what it, really, is.

[ag]

Considering for most of modern history Kaliningrad was Prussia, Germany would be the most natural choice.

For that matter, look at Poland... the territory it was granted after WWII was punitive against Germany, and directly led to the death of hundreds of thousands of ethnic Germans who historically lived there.

Well, Poland had little choice there: it was, basically, moved West by force, with USSR annexing much of what had been Poland before the war. Then, again, much of the rural population in the annexed areas in the East was, indeed, Belorussian/Lithuanian/Ukrainian, with Poles being, mostly, dominant in the cities - they were deported West. Again, there had been some Polish and/or Polabian (Kaszubian) population in the newly Polish lands taken from Germany. Over the course of history the boundary between the Germanic and the Slavic population had moved back and forth, so Poles could argue to have both historic and population claims to those parts they got. But, again, they had no say in any of it.

In any case, if we start figuring out what bit of Europe "rightfully" belongs to whom, we shall quickly go back to the old European norm: continuous wars. The borders have been fixed. Be very careful touching them.

[Mopsus]

Given the strong claims multiple regional powers have on the place, it should be put under the administration of a neutral third party - Israel.