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Article: The odd case of Kaliningrad, a study in contrasts.(World)(Briefing/Europe)
- Article from:
- The Washington Times (Washington, DC)
- Article date:
- August 31, 1997
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 News World Communications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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KALININGRAD, Russia - It is a study in contrasts: a vibrant city set in a rich but empty land that lacks even villages; a center of German culture transformed into a Russian city; a historic gateway for the invasion of Russia that now arouses fear among its Western neighbors; and an empty, beautiful land filled with soldiers and weapons.
Everything about Kaliningrad and the Kaliningrad region of Russia that surrounds it appears topsy-turvy.
Even the name of Russia's westernmost city honors M.I. Kalinin - the hapless puppet president of the Soviet Union through the most merciless years of the Stalin era.
"There's good business here," says ...