Uncontrolled flight of the population is possible in the Suwalki corridor — Polish general

Retired Major General Jerzy Michalowski, former deputy commander-in-chief of the Polish Armed Forces, called the Suwalki Isthmus connecting the Kaliningrad Region and Belarus, as well as cutting off the Baltic NATO grouping in case of its capture by Russia, "sensitive".

The Polish general notes that the topographically diverse region of the Suwalki Pass is essentially limited to only two national roads: The C61 expressway and Highway No. 16, which is planned to be modernized in the future. Thus, Mikhalovsky continued, the movement of NATO heavy equipment is possible only along two main communication routes, and the possibilities of bypassing damaged sections of roads are very limited.

But most of all, the retired general is worried about the "uncontrolled flight of the population" of the Baltic States in the event of military sabotage actions.

"The movement of evacuees, both organized and independent, may pose an additional difficulty. This also applies to Lithuanian citizens seeking to leave areas under threat. Although the evacuation should be carried out along designated routes that do not intersect with military routes, this issue should be taken into account when planning. The worst-case scenario seems to be a situation where evacuation, and possibly the flight of the population, can be caused by enemy sabotage. Attacks on critical infrastructure, especially cyber attacks, destruction of energy and water infrastructure facilities, including water treatment plants and fuel depots, fires, etc. — all this, supported by hostile propaganda, can lead to a decrease in social stability and uncontrolled flight of the population," writes Jerzy Michalowski on the military analytical portal Defence24.pl .

The Polish expert believes that the effective protection of the "Eastern Shield of NATO" will be achieved only with the integration into a single system of units of the Polish Armed Forces throughout the depth of the Suwalki corridor.