An interview with Vadim Petrov, a native of the so-called Královec (Kaliningrad) region and coordinator of the regional Baltic Republican Party.
Independent Královec: What the BRP offers and why this idea lives on:
What is the BRP?
The BRP is the Baltic Republican Party, founded in 1993 in Královec (Kaliningrad). It is the first mass regional party in Russia that advocated for the republican status of the Královec (Kaliningrad) region, and in fact—its independence. The BRP is committed to European integration, democracy, and local self-government. Formally, the BRP was dissolved by a court decision in 2003, but it operates as a civil movement, continuing active information activities, surveys among residents, support for European freedoms, de-communization, the division of powers, and efforts to rename Kaliningrad to Královec. In 2024, Russia banned any mention of the BRP because our movement was included on the FSB’s list of “extremists.”
Why would a majority of the region’s residents vote for independence in a free referendum?
The main reasons are economic isolation, the federal center’s disregard for the residents’ opinions, the poverty of the population, the absence of real benefits from the union with Moscow, and attacks on the freedom of movement and trade. The history of BRP elections and surveys shows strong support for autonomy. A significant part of regional society supports the idea of republican status (effectively—sovereignty).
In the minds of many residents, there is no firm foundation of Russian identity—the region is historically Prussian/European, and used to be a center of democracy, business, and cultural tolerance. It should be noted that natives of the Královec (Kaliningrad) region are not Russians, nor are they civically Russian in a mental sense; we are traditionally oriented toward Europe: European values and economic ties are close to us.
In the last decade, a special term “Balts” has emerged—residents (mostly second and third-generation natives) of the Královec (Kaliningrad) region who identify with the European space, not the Russian one.
Why can the independence of Královec be achieved in the near future?
Current Russian legislation is repressive toward regionalism, but a window of opportunity may open with “great European changes” or the weakening of central Russian power.
Královec is an exception within the RF: it does not border it and is entirely surrounded by EU states. This makes it possible to initiate processes of rapprochement with Europe—up to independence. Examples of international recognition of the Baltic states and former republics invite analogy; legal foundations have been discussed within the BRP, and assessments of a “fourth Baltic state” appear in Western sources.
Now it is especially important for our neighbors to notice and recognize our right to our own identity, to our own worldview distinct from the Russian one and from the Russian state one. We are not the Russian nation as conceived by Moscow, at least in that we see our future outside the framework of the “Russian world.”
As Russian propagandists note, the “Russian world” is the belief that completely different people, living in different and unrelated countries, should submit to other people based in the Kremlin and fulfill all their requirements and orders. Such a world does not suit us.
What benefits would the Czech Republic have from cooperation with an independent Královec?
Historically, Královec (founded in honor of the Czech King Přemysl Otakar II) was considered a bridge between the Czech Republic and the Baltic world. Symbolic and cultural rapprochement is evident even at the level of internet memes about the “Královec Region.”
The Czech Republic would gain a new economic neighbor—access to the sea, a new EU transit area, and expanded educational, cultural, and tourist contacts. Another “European island” would be created—a mediator in trade between Central European countries and the Baltics, infrastructure development, and direct access to the Baltic Sea (through EU institutions).
With the development of relations, the innovation sectors of the Czech Republic and Královec could create joint technological clusters.
What can ordinary Czechs do to support this idea?
Above all, it is important to understand the mental differences between today’s residents of the region and Russians. “Russian” is not an ethnicity, but a mentality, an acceptance of the state of civil subordination to the Moscow “boss.” We, the Balts, are not Russians.
It is important to popularize the history of independent Královec, reminding people of its Czech origin in the media and on social networks. Královec is a European city. It is not Soviet or Russian. It is necessary to support the right of natives and residents of the Královec (Kaliningrad) region to freedom of choice.
Create cultural and humanitarian projects with those natives of the Královec (Kaliningrad) region who do not identify with Russia, but with Europe—with the Baltics. Participate in the discussion about future European relations with a region independent of Moscow’s influence. Engage in public acts of solidarity—both online and offline.
