KALININGRAD, September 14. /TASS/. NATO’s efforts to step up military exercises near the borders of Russia’s Kaliningrad Region would only further escalate the geopolitical situation, Yevgeny Mishin, a member of the regional legislative assembly and deputy chairman of its committee on international and interregional relations, security, and law and order, told TASS, commenting on remarks by Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski.

Sikorski previously said NATO should increase the scale of military exercises near Russia’s Kaliningrad Region.

"I propose that we conduct exercises on our side that are aggressive enough to ensure he [Russian President Vladimir Putin] is uncertain about exactly what we might do. As a result, he would be forced to redeploy some of his forces from Ukraine," Sikorski said.

"We have long been familiar with the statements made by Sikorski and other European officials. His talk of amassing forces near the Kaliningrad Region is merely an attempt to project a stronger military presence," Mishin said.

"I would like to remind the leaders of unfriendly nations - I do not even wish to name them - that our president has repeatedly stated that any aggression by European Union countries would constitute a direct attack on Russia. This also includes the deployment of EU military contingents on Ukrainian territory, with all the ensuing consequences," he added.

The Kaliningrad Region is a Russian semi-exclave on the Baltic Sea, separated from mainland Russia by the territories of EU and NATO member states. In recent months, rhetoric concerning the region has intensified, with foreign media outlets reporting on proposals and threats involving its potential economic or territorial blockade.