Russia warns NATO it could use nuclear weapons if Kaliningrad is isolated Russia has warned NATO it is prepared to use nuclear weapons if the alliance attempts to isolate Kaliningrad, as experts say the militarized exclave is already a testing ground for hybrid warfare against Europe. Russia has warned NATO that it is prepared to use nuclear weapons if the alliance attempts to isolate Kaliningrad from the rest of Russia, according to a diplomatic document reported by Reuters on Wednesday. The warning is raising new concerns that the heavily militarized Russian exclave could become a flashpoint between Moscow and the alliance. Kaliningrad is a Russian territory geographically separated from the Russian mainland. It sits on the Baltic Sea between NATO members Poland and Lithuania and hosts significant Russian military assets, including elements of Moscow's Baltic Fleet.Moscow Warns Of Nuclear UseMoscow said in the document that it was prepared to use the entire arsenal of forces and capabilities at its disposal, including nuclear weapons, if alliance members attempted to isolate the territory. The document also raised the possibility of strikes against decision-making centers in NATO member states from the outset of a conflict. NATO rejected Moscow's allegations in a response reviewed by Fox News Digital.The alliance said it is defensive and that none of its exercises or activities threaten Russian territory. NATO also urged Russia to stop its irresponsible nuclear rhetoric. Carrie Filipetti, executive director of the Vandenberg Coalition, told Fox News Digital that Moscow has repeatedly used nuclear threats to deter Western support for Ukraine. She said Russia has threatened nuclear weapons in the past, including veiled references to tactical nuclear attacks at the beginning of Putin's invasion of Ukraine.Filipetti also cited Russia lowering its formal threshold for launching a nuclear attack in 2024, placing its nuclear forces on high alert, and restarting nuclear testing. She said it is very common for Putin to use these threats because he sees it as a way to deter Europe and the United States from continuing to support Ukraine. She said the threat about a nuclear attack if Kaliningrad is threatened or isolated comes after several developments.Nuclear Threats Aim To Deter WestThose include NATO jets being scrambled over Russian aircraft, U.S. and NATO air drills near Kaliningrad last month, and heightened tensions over the war in Ukraine. She argued the timing reflects mounting pressure on Moscow as the war continues. Filipetti said Putin seems to understand that the tide is turning against him and is resorting to aggressive rhetoric to try to stop European support for Ukraine.She previously served as a deputy assistant secretary at the State Department and as a senior policy advisor for the United States Mission to the United Nations. Dr. Azeem Ibrahim, a research professor at the Strategic Studies Institute at the U.S. Army War College and chief strategy officer at the New Lines Institute, told Fox News Digital that NATO should take the warning very seriously. He pointed to the broader role Kaliningrad already plays in Moscow's confrontation with Europe.Ibrahim argued that while NATO has traditionally prepared for conventional military conflict involving tanks and troops and divisions, Russia is increasingly using methods designed to disrupt infrastructure and systems that civilian societies depend on. He said the territory has essentially become a Russian fortress. He described Kaliningrad as a front-line operation for Russia in signals intelligence, signals interference and mechanisms for carrying out hybrid warfare.Experts Warn Of Hybrid Warfare RisksSuch interference, he said, could disrupt civilian communications and infrastructure before or alongside a conventional military conflict. The warning comes amid other recent developments, including a foiled terror plot at a bomber base linked to wider threats to US military installations. Motorcycle patrols and checkpoints have also increased in Iranian cities as the regime braces for unrest. At least 40 people were rescued and two died after a boat capsized following a machete fight near Puerto Rico.Other recent incidents include Iran being under scrutiny after a plot was foiled near a UK base used by US military forces, and four American tourists among six killed after an explosion leveled a building near Athens' Acropolis. Finland's Stubb credited Trump for pushing Ukraine peace talks while dismissing Russian invasion fears.US troops have officially left Iraq after a 12-year mission, and a US withdrawal from Iraq after 23 years, along with military actions in Iran and Venezuela, has been detailed. Pope Leo drew a staggering 800,000 faithful to the heart of Paris for a massive outdoor Mass.