In the fifties Khrushchev offered Lithuania the Kaliningrad oblast but Lithuanians refused not wanting to change the ethnic composition of their country and iirc the region was heavily damaged by war and Lithuanians didnt want to be burdened with it. Anyway, WI for some or another reason, Lithuanians took it?
WI Kaliningrad becomes part of Lithuania
- Thread starter marcinL
- Start date
After the collapse, would the Russian citizens stay in Lithuania or go back to Russia?
I imagine if Latvia and Estonia are anything to go by they would have stayed by and large, although doubtless some would have emigrated.
Although that’s assuming that the Russians would have the same eagerness to leave if it means that they don’t get to keep Kaliningrad like in OTL, strategically it’s a hugely important area for Russia.
If there is a choice, most of those who are not stupid will remain in Lithuania.
The problem is that the Russian minority (which would be like like 1/3 of the population) is geographically centered in Kaliningrad which isnt Lithuanian historical teritory, which could lead to formation of a breakaway state a la Transnistria, and even if not Lithuanians could have problems with getting rid of Soviet/Russian army from their territory.
Would Litheunia not be become part of Russia? I mean if a third of it is Russian and 1989, 9.4 percent of Lithuania's population was Russia.
Frankly it looks it might just become apart of Russia depending on how interconnected it is and if settlement continues.
No (a lot of post-Soviet republics had similar numbers of Russians), but there would be severe ethnic tensions and in all likelihood Kaliningrad would try to secede like the aforementioned Transnistria.
I mean your looking at minimum close to half the population being ethnically Russian.
That combined with the issues of losing Kaliningrad presents might make it be possible for a vote for if it stays apart of Russia or not.
Just as an aside, I know a couple of ethnic Russians from Riga... they think of themselves as Latvians - and one at least doesn't have a very high opinion of "the Russians"....
You might have something similar develop in Lithuanian Kaliningrad a/k/a northern East Prussia...
Also, there were, before the end of WWII when many of them fled for the west, a good many Lithuanians/Germans of Lithuanian ancestry in that area, except they were by and large Lutherans who spoke mainly German, and thought of themselves as German...
You might have something similar develop in Lithuanian Kaliningrad a/k/a northern East Prussia...
Also, there were, before the end of WWII when many of them fled for the west, a good many Lithuanians/Germans of Lithuanian ancestry in that area, except they were by and large Lutherans who spoke mainly German, and thought of themselves as German...
Historically Russian citizens moved out of Lithuania en masse after 1990. Not all of them by any means, but a very significant portion. Even then Kaliningrad would stay ethnic Russian though.