Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the exclave of Kaliningrad, situated between Poland and Lithuania, just a day after NATO commenced its largest military exercise since the end of the Cold War.
During his visit, Putin met with regional officials and students at a university.
According to Romanian Digi24, he discussed the "ignorance of the West," which, according to him, is destroying Russian monuments.
"Unlike our neighbors who are destroying the monuments of the heroes of the Great Patriotic War, only those of Russia and the Soviet Union. Monuments to Pushkin have already begun to be demolished, among others. Of course, this is an astonishing ignorance and a lack of understanding of where they live, what they do, and what will follow," Putin stated.
However, the Kremlin insists that the purpose of the trip was not to send a message to Western allies but was merely a visit on Student's Day.
Putin's last visit to Kaliningrad, home to the Russian Baltic Fleet, was in September 2022.
