*** Please support us to keep bringing you in-depth coverage. Become a Patron: https://www.patreon.com/talkeasterneurope

In this episode, we focus our attention on Russia's semi-exclave of Kaliningrad, located by the Baltic Sea and surrounded by NATO allies.

Our guest for this week is Miłosz J. Cordes, a former career diplomat, currently a post-doc researcher at Lund University, a fellow researcher at the Danish Foreign Policy Society, and a lecturer at DIS Study Abroad in Copenhagen.

Aga and Miłosz discuss how the region of Kaliningrad changed hands over the centuries and how it ended up being part of the USSR and eventually Russia. They also talk about the role of Kaliningrad today, and the geopolitical sensitivities stemming from its location.

Finally, as Miłosz's research interests cover identity politics in the Baltic Sea Region and in Central and Eastern Europe, the interview delves into how the inhabitants of Kaliningrad identify themselves vis-a-vis the rest of Russia, and what are their perceptions of their country's actions on the international stage.

You can find Miłosz's research on https://www.milosz.dk/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/miloszcordes