THURSDAY PDB – The isolated Russian city of Kaliningrad will now be known as Królewiec in official Polish documents, its name in the 15th and 16th centuries when it was ruled by Poland.
Kaliningrad, a fortified Russian enclave that sits in an exclave sandwiched between Lithuania and Poland on the Baltic coast, is strategically important to Moscow because it houses the Russian Baltic Fleet at the port of Baltiysk and is one of Russia's only ice-free European ports.
Its only connection to Russia is by sea.
The city was known by the German name of Königsberg until after the Second World War when it was annexed by the invading Soviet forces and renamed to honor Mikhail Kalinin, a war criminal to the Poles.
Mikhail Kalinin was one of six Soviet Politburo signatories to the order to brutally execute more than 21,000 Polish officers and prisoners of war in the forests of Katyn and elsewhere in 1940.
Królewiec is the Polish translation of Königsberg.
“We do not want Russification in Poland, and that is why we have decided to change the name…” said Poland's development minister. But its connection to Kalinin was also clear.
A Kremlin spokesperson called Poland's decision to rename Kaliningrad a ‘hostile act,' and said the decision “bordered on madness.”
FOR YOUR EYES ONLY – Here's a roundup of today's other top stories.
Not the President's Daily Brief, but almost as good – PAUL'S DAILY BRIEFING – the PDB:
NATIONAL SECURITY
Taiwan is urging the US not to abandon Ukraine. Some Republicans want to scale back U.S. military support for Ukraine, insisting that Taiwan's defense should take priority. But those who claim to be for protecting Taiwan ought to listen to its leaders. They believe the island's security depends on Washington firmly supporting Kyiv.
HOMELAND DEFENSE
A new design for homeland defense is in the works at NORTHCOM. A “vastly different” design for homeland defense is in the works at U.S. Northern Command, its leader said to Congress.
HOMELAND SECURITY
WILL HE BE PARDONED? – Army sergeant who killed BLM protester in Texas sentenced to 25 years. He was sentenced on Wednesday for fatally shooting an armed man during a Black Lives Matter protest, even after the state's GOP governor said he wanted to pardon him.
IF YOU DON'T FINISH BOOT CAMP, YOU'RE NOT A VET – Who counts as a veteran? Not the latest Texas shooter. Mauricio Garcia, the gunman who killed eight people at a Texas Mall on Saturday, spent three months in Army basic training in 2008, but was kicked out before finishing. Military leaders bristle at the suggestion that he is a “veteran.”
CHINA THREAT
Pacific fleet leader to go before China committee to talk Taiwan. The Navy's top officer for the region plans to brief the House China Committee in a closed session Thursday about a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 442. A plan by Russian forces to relocate more than 3,000 workers from the town next to the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, will result in a “catastrophic lack” of personnel.
Weapons tracing shows Russia firing new cruise missiles at Ukraine just weeks after production. Researchers concluded that one Kh-101 missile recovered and examined after striking Kyiv in November 2022 was likely produced just a month earlier.
Canada, Latvia to jointly train Ukrainian soldiers starting Monday. They will begin training Ukrainian soldiers in Latvia, said Canada's Defense Minister.
US approves first transfer of seized Russian funds to Ukraine. Team Biden has sought increased powers to send seized assets from Russian sanctions evaders to aid Kyiv.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
DANGEROUS UNREST IN NUKE-ARMED COUNTRY – Imran Khan arrest: Army called in as Pakistan protests continue. Pakistan's army warns against further attacks on state buildings or personnel after the ex-PM's arrest.
NATO's new plans will help to better defend ‘every inch' of allied territory. U.S. European Command's chief, and other top NATO defense officials, met Wednesday to adjust new defense plans for Europe that are expected to transform how NATO will defend itself for years to come.
US MILITARY
Hyper-enabling special ops will give transform missions. As special operations teams weave their way across more than 80 countries, they face daunting challenges, often without the high-level support they saw in previous conflicts.
New guns means new bullets, suppressors and tech for special ops. Special operators need a host of small arms, ammunition, and explosive devices to outrange and strike adversaries in future missions on what will be a much more competitive battlefield.
Drones, planes need new weapons and sensors, says special ops official. More options and less strain on humans are key to modernizing fixed-wing systems for U.S. Special Operations Command.
Part-Time service could be the future of the Coast Guard, commandant says. A part-time Coastie? The service's top officer has a novel idea for solving the Coast Guard's recruiting woes.
END of PDB
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
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Screw U U did it in WW2
Renaming a city is a hostile act? I guess so.
Almost as traitorous and inhumane as mean tweets, huh squeamish libs???
It’s just Putin shooting off his mouth again so he can sound like a tough guy. Even he isn’t stupid enough to take on NATO in another war.
Your excuse for logic is SEVERELY uninformed.