Due to concerns about the Suwalki corridor, Lithuanian helicopters are escorting Russian trains bound for the Kaliningrad region. This is to make sure Russian trains are not stopped and not being loaded or unloaded, writes The Wall Street Journal..

Russian aggression causes great concern in the strategic part of Europe. In particular, NATO is concerned about the Polish-Lithuanian border region between Kaliningrad and Belarus.

The Polish city of Suwalki is located along the corridor of NATO territory between two Russian " To the southeast is Belarus, a close ally of Russia that has become a base for its invasion of Ukraine.. In the northwest is Kaliningrad, part of the Russian Federation, cut off from the rest of the country after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Western military strategists call this area the Suwalki Gap.. They worry that Russia, which annexed Crimea in 2014 and invaded Ukraine, may use force to try to seize the border region that would connect Kaliningrad with Belarus..

Threatening comments from the governments of Russia and Belarus heightened concerns in the region, as did a draft law submitted to the Russian parliament to revoke Moscow's recognition of Lithuania's independence from the Soviet Union..

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has raised similar concerns in other countries surrounding Russia, which for decades have either been allies of Moscow or have not seen the threat of an attack.. Finland and Sweden applied for NATO membership, while Kazakhstan and some other former Soviet Central Asian republics that remained in Russia's orbit began to drift away from Moscow, in part because of concerns about its reliability..

The Suwalki Corridor region has a long history of conflict. Napoleonic troops crossed it during the invasion and retreat from Russia. Fierce fighting took place here during both world wars.. When the Second World War ended, Kaliningrad fell under the control of the Soviet Union and was defined as the territory of Russia..

Today, although the military and intelligence agencies do not see an immediate military threat from the Russian Federation, they are concerned about its aggression and unpredictable behavior..

Former deputy mayor of the city of Suwalki, Ewa Sidorek, said many locals panicked when Russia attacked Ukraine.. Anxiety in the region escalated in June, when Russia and Lithuania entered into a dispute over the transit of goods to Kaliningrad..

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For decades, the routes were located on Soviet territory, but after the collapse of the USSR in 1991 and Lithuania gained independence, these routes turned into an international route. When the Baltic countries in 2004. joined the EU, Russia and Lithuania agreed on the conditions for the operation of trains. According to the Lithuanian Railways, about 250 Russian trains passed through Lithuania every month last year..

EU sanctions against Moscow since February have complicated this arrangement. In June, the Lithuanian authorities began to impose EU restrictions, blocking the transport of some sanctioned goods on the railway line..

Moscow accused Lithuania of blockade of Kaliningrad and resorted to threats. As tensions escalated, Lithuania said it was simply following EU rules, while Germany and some other members of the bloc urged it not to escalate the situation.. In late July, Lithuania and EU allies agreed on a conflict avoidance approach, but Lithuanian citizens were concerned.

“Russian trains run through Lithuania. Obviously, we are nervous,” said Migle Onaityte, who lives near the railway line.