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

[Velasco]

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

East Prussia was a stronghold for the national conservative DVNP. Later East Prussians voted massively for... the NSDAP.

You'd better leave the borders as they stand, as ag says

[ag]

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

Great idea. But only if this can be combined with establishing proper neutral administration in Jerusalem. I nominate the Japanese emperor as the Protector, to be supported by a contingent of Nepali Gurkhas. I am sure there will be enough space on the Temple Mount to set up both a Shinto and a Hindu temple to serve both their spiritual needs.

[Silent Hunter]

I'd say an independent state of its one as an EU member.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Konigsberg should have all the Russians expelled and all the useless remnants of European nobility sent to the King's Town and not let out.

[Velasco]

Why not reinstating the Teutonic Order? Eventually it could become in a buffer state to counter the expansionism of Vladimir Putin, the Tsar of Russia. The re-created state could serve as well to the purpose of keeping the remnants of European nobility busy. Turning idle noblemen into warrior monks would receive the blessing of the Pope.

[Mopsus]

Why not reinstating the Teutonic Order? Eventually it could become in a buffer state to counter the expansionism of Vladimir Putin, the Tsar of Russia. The re-created state could serve as well to the purpose of keeping the remnants of European nobility busy. Turning idle noblemen into warrior monks would receive the blessing of the Pope.

If we want to buffer Russia, we need to bring back the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

[Ethelberth]

Actually there has been movement to revive Old Prussian language.

https://culture.pl/en/article/little-prince-published-in-prussian

So best solution would be Independent Prussia, with Prussian as official language.

[TheSaint250]

It should go to Germany, but Stalin and the USSR made sure that such a claim would have much less legitimacy in the future by expelling and murdering German civilians.

[ag]

Actually there has been movement to revive Old Prussian language.

https://culture.pl/en/article/little-prince-published-in-prussian

So best solution would be Independent Prussia, with Prussian as official language.

Considering how little is known of actual Prussian, that thing is likely to be more like a Baltic esperanto. What is it that thing in the water in Vilna that makes them invent languages?

[GMantis]

For once I agree with ag. No country except Russia has any reasonable claim upon Kaliningrad Oblast (this includes Germany, which specifically renounced all claims of territories east of the Oder-Neisse in 1990) and no other country wants this territory. At least no other country wants the territory with its current inhabitants and that's not going away without the kind of ethnic cleansing that was necessary to remove the German population in the first place. Which should be completely unacceptable to modern civilized people and yet we have two people calling for exactly that:

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.

Konigsberg should have all the Russians expelled and all the useless remnants of European nobility sent to the King's Town and not let out.

What happened with the whole "Putin is the enemy, not the Russian people"?

Actually there has been movement to revive Old Prussian language.

https://culture.pl/en/article/little-prince-published-in-prussian

So best solution would be Independent Prussia, with Prussian as official language.

In the same way that the best solution for the Quebec dispute would be an independent Native American country in the place of Quebec, with an Indian language official.

[smoltchanov]

The Russia is NOT "made to give up Kaliningrad" in the near future. If there is a constant in Russian politics - it's an absolute desire of 90+% of it's population to hold as much territory as possible, and - even bigger.

[ag]

If there is a constant in Russian politics - it's an absolute desire of 90+% of it's population to hold as much territory as possible, and - even bigger.

And that, irrespective of anything else in this thread, is the main problem with Russia.

[Lord Halifax]

Konigsberg should have all the Russians expelled and all the useless remnants of European nobility sent to the King's Town and not let out.

It's the King’s Mountain, not the King's Town.

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.

It was never called Königsburg.

[smoltchanov]

If there is a constant in Russian politics - it's an absolute desire of 90+% of it's population to hold as much territory as possible, and - even bigger.

And that, irrespective of anything else in this thread, is the main problem with Russia.

Ask US to give back Alaska, and then observe the reaction. In any case - it's a thing that will NOT change next 50 years. And i have little interest in what will be later (partially - because i will NOT be alive then)

[ag]

If there is a constant in Russian politics - it's an absolute desire of 90+% of it's population to hold as much territory as possible, and - even bigger.

And that, irrespective of anything else in this thread, is the main problem with Russia.

Ask US to give back Alaska, and then observe the reaction. In any case - it's a thing that will NOT change next 50 years. And i have little interest in what will be later (partially - because i will NOT be alive then)

Ask Mexicans and Canadians what they would think if Americans still openly wanted to make their country "bigger".

[smoltchanov]

If there is a constant in Russian politics - it's an absolute desire of 90+% of it's population to hold as much territory as possible, and - even bigger.

And that, irrespective of anything else in this thread, is the main problem with Russia.

Ask US to give back Alaska, and then observe the reaction. In any case - it's a thing that will NOT change next 50 years. And i have little interest in what will be later (partially - because i will NOT be alive then)

Ask Mexicans and Canadians what they would think if Americans still openly wanted to make their country "bigger".

Americans surely want this. In this respect US and Russia are very similar: both are inherently expansionist powers with extremely strong "messianic" traits (like: God (or Karl Marx) choose country to play very special role in the world).

[Helsinkian]

If there is a constant in Russian politics - it's an absolute desire of 90+% of it's population to hold as much territory as possible, and - even bigger.

And that, irrespective of anything else in this thread, is the main problem with Russia.

Ask US to give back Alaska, and then observe the reaction. In any case - it's a thing that will NOT change next 50 years. And i have little interest in what will be later (partially - because i will NOT be alive then)

Ask Mexicans and Canadians what they would think if Americans still openly wanted to make their country "bigger".

Americans surely want this. In this respect US and Russia are very similar: both are inherently expansionist powers with extremely strong "messianic" traits (like: God (or Karl Marx) choose country to play very special role in the world).

Say what you want of the Iraq war, but at least it did not result in the annexation of Basra Governorate into the US.

[ag]

If there is a constant in Russian politics - it's an absolute desire of 90+% of it's population to hold as much territory as possible, and - even bigger.

And that, irrespective of anything else in this thread, is the main problem with Russia.

Ask US to give back Alaska, and then observe the reaction. In any case - it's a thing that will NOT change next 50 years. And i have little interest in what will be later (partially - because i will NOT be alive then)

Ask Mexicans and Canadians what they would think if Americans still openly wanted to make their country "bigger".

Americans surely want this.

In every American society I have been familiar with, expressing such an opinion would have been considered indecent for the last 50 years at the very least. But, ok, you do not have to go by my word: we can ask the many estadounidenses present here

[smoltchanov]

If there is a constant in Russian politics - it's an absolute desire of 90+% of it's population to hold as much territory as possible, and - even bigger.

And that, irrespective of anything else in this thread, is the main problem with Russia.

Ask US to give back Alaska, and then observe the reaction. In any case - it's a thing that will NOT change next 50 years. And i have little interest in what will be later (partially - because i will NOT be alive then)

Ask Mexicans and Canadians what they would think if Americans still openly wanted to make their country "bigger".

Americans surely want this.

In every American society I have been familiar with, expressing such an opinion would have been considered indecent for the last 50 years at the very least. But, ok, you do not have to go by my word: we can ask the many estadounidenses present here

In fact - both countries were really built on expansionist idea. And, after collapse of Soviet Union, when close to 1/4 of territory was lost (if we compare present Russia with it) - there is rather natural desire "not to lose more" in Russia. Add to this, that Crimea takes a special place in many Russian's hearts, because of circumstances of it becoming part of Ukraine as a result of Khrushchev's decision (my mother, who is 92, remembers that, and, though she is NOT Putin's supporter on most issues, Crimea for her is really "ours"). But i know fery few people here really interested in Donetsk or Luhansk, for example. It's all rather complicated)))

[ag]

If there is a constant in Russian politics - it's an absolute desire of 90+% of it's population to hold as much territory as possible, and - even bigger.

And that, irrespective of anything else in this thread, is the main problem with Russia.

Ask US to give back Alaska, and then observe the reaction. In any case - it's a thing that will NOT change next 50 years. And i have little interest in what will be later (partially - because i will NOT be alive then)

Ask Mexicans and Canadians what they would think if Americans still openly wanted to make their country "bigger".

Americans surely want this.

In every American society I have been familiar with, expressing such an opinion would have been considered indecent for the last 50 years at the very least. But, ok, you do not have to go by my word: we can ask the many estadounidenses present here

In fact - both countries were really built on expansionist idea. And, after collapse of Soviet Union, when close to 1/4 of territory was lost (if we compare present Russia with it) - there is rather natural desire "not to lose more" in Russia. Add to this, that Crimea takes a special place in many Russian's hearts, because of circumstances of it becoming part of Ukraine as a result of Khrushchev's decision (my mother, who is 92, remembers that, and, though she is NOT Putin's supporter on most issues, Crimea for her is really "ours"). But i know fery few people here really interested in Donetsk or Luhansk, for example. It's all rather complicated)))

Would you remind me the circumstances under which Crimea became (ethnically) Russian?

[smoltchanov]

If there is a constant in Russian politics - it's an absolute desire of 90+% of it's population to hold as much territory as possible, and - even bigger.

And that, irrespective of anything else in this thread, is the main problem with Russia.

Ask US to give back Alaska, and then observe the reaction. In any case - it's a thing that will NOT change next 50 years. And i have little interest in what will be later (partially - because i will NOT be alive then)

Ask Mexicans and Canadians what they would think if Americans still openly wanted to make their country "bigger".

Americans surely want this.

In every American society I have been familiar with, expressing such an opinion would have been considered indecent for the last 50 years at the very least. But, ok, you do not have to go by my word: we can ask the many estadounidenses present here

In fact - both countries were really built on expansionist idea. And, after collapse of Soviet Union, when close to 1/4 of territory was lost (if we compare present Russia with it) - there is rather natural desire "not to lose more" in Russia. Add to this, that Crimea takes a special place in many Russian's hearts, because of circumstances of it becoming part of Ukraine as a result of Khrushchev's decision (my mother, who is 92, remembers that, and, though she is NOT Putin's supporter on most issues, Crimea for her is really "ours"). But i know fery few people here really interested in Donetsk or Luhansk, for example. It's all rather complicated)))

Would you remind me the circumstances under which Crimea became (ethnically) Russian?

Well, after Peter I managed to get it from Turkey it became a mixture of Tatars, Ukranians and Russians. With time and increasing role of Crimea as a base for Russian (and then - Soviet) fleet - Russians became to play bigger and bigger role. And, after all - it was part of Russian FGederation before Khrushchev's decision. It's not forgotten in Russia.

P.S. Tataria, Bashkiria (not even mentioning Dagestan or Chechnya) and many other "national republics" of Russia are NOT ethnically Russian. But i wouldn't advice anyone to try to get them "out of Russia"...

P.S.2  I was in Crimea many times beginning with 1969 to 1995, and never heard Ukranian spoken here. Small thing, but still....

[Helsinkian]

With time and increasing role of Crimea as a base for Russian (and then - Soviet) fleet - Russians became to play bigger and bigger role.

...and due to the mass deportation of Tatars by Stalin.

[ag]

If there is a constant in Russian politics - it's an absolute desire of 90+% of it's population to hold as much territory as possible, and - even bigger.

And that, irrespective of anything else in this thread, is the main problem with Russia.

Ask US to give back Alaska, and then observe the reaction. In any case - it's a thing that will NOT change next 50 years. And i have little interest in what will be later (partially - because i will NOT be alive then)

Ask Mexicans and Canadians what they would think if Americans still openly wanted to make their country "bigger".

Americans surely want this.

In every American society I have been familiar with, expressing such an opinion would have been considered indecent for the last 50 years at the very least. But, ok, you do not have to go by my word: we can ask the many estadounidenses present here

In fact - both countries were really built on expansionist idea. And, after collapse of Soviet Union, when close to 1/4 of territory was lost (if we compare present Russia with it) - there is rather natural desire "not to lose more" in Russia. Add to this, that Crimea takes a special place in many Russian's hearts, because of circumstances of it becoming part of Ukraine as a result of Khrushchev's decision (my mother, who is 92, remembers that, and, though she is NOT Putin's supporter on most issues, Crimea for her is really "ours"). But i know fery few people here really interested in Donetsk or Luhansk, for example. It's all rather complicated)))

Would you remind me the circumstances under which Crimea became (ethnically) Russian?

Well, after Peter I managed to get it from Turkey it became a mixture of Tatars, Ukranians and Russians. With time and increasing role of Crimea as a base for Russian (and then - Soviet) fleet - Russians became to play bigger and bigger role.

Are you sure you are not suffering from age-related amnesia? Or is it what you learned at a Russian school?

[ag]

With time and increasing role of Crimea as a base for Russian (and then - Soviet) fleet - Russians became to play bigger and bigger role.

...and due to the mass deportation of Tatars by Stalin.

Just a minor detail.

Though there are a few others.

[smoltchanov]

If there is a constant in Russian politics - it's an absolute desire of 90+% of it's population to hold as much territory as possible, and - even bigger.

And that, irrespective of anything else in this thread, is the main problem with Russia.

Ask US to give back Alaska, and then observe the reaction. In any case - it's a thing that will NOT change next 50 years. And i have little interest in what will be later (partially - because i will NOT be alive then)

Ask Mexicans and Canadians what they would think if Americans still openly wanted to make their country "bigger".

Americans surely want this.

In every American society I have been familiar with, expressing such an opinion would have been considered indecent for the last 50 years at the very least. But, ok, you do not have to go by my word: we can ask the many estadounidenses present here

In fact - both countries were really built on expansionist idea. And, after collapse of Soviet Union, when close to 1/4 of territory was lost (if we compare present Russia with it) - there is rather natural desire "not to lose more" in Russia. Add to this, that Crimea takes a special place in many Russian's hearts, because of circumstances of it becoming part of Ukraine as a result of Khrushchev's decision (my mother, who is 92, remembers that, and, though she is NOT Putin's supporter on most issues, Crimea for her is really "ours"). But i know fery few people here really interested in Donetsk or Luhansk, for example. It's all rather complicated)))

Would you remind me the circumstances under which Crimea became (ethnically) Russian?

Well, after Peter I managed to get it from Turkey it became a mixture of Tatars, Ukranians and Russians. With time and increasing role of Crimea as a base for Russian (and then - Soviet) fleet - Russians became to play bigger and bigger role.

Are you sure you are not suffering from age-related amnesia? Or is it what you learned at a Russian school?

Of course i studied in Russian school. But it's not so difficult to find demographic data about Crimea))))