Publication

This book discusses the position of the Kaliningrad District within the Russian Federation. The author describes Kaliningrad as a region that epitomizes Russia's search for identity, its difficulties with state-building and democratization, as well as the challenges it faces in constructing positive relations with its neighboring countries. The author uses the episode of the three-day celebration of the 750th anniversary of Kaliningrad to organize the narrative of the book, starting with Kaliningrad's history and identity formation, going through its place in Russia's state-building project, and ending with the instrumental role of Kaliningrad in shaping Russia's relations with Europe. The book conveys a complex message of Kaliningrad's hostage-like situation in the region and acts as a starting point for further discussion among scholars and policymakers.