Kaliningrad: A Russian Satellite

Located on the Baltic coast, the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad is bordered by Lithuania and Poland and does not touch Russia at all. Pictured is the water off the Strait of Baltisk, which separates the cities of Baltisk and Kaliningrad, the region's capital.

Formerly part of Germany (it was then known as K?†nigsberg), the region was given to Russia in an agreement with the Allied Powers at the end of WWII, and all German residents were forced to leave to country starting in 1945 to make room for the Russians. Pictured are some geese swimming in the Strait of Baltisk.

A dog lying among some old artillery shell casings on the beach at the Strait of Baltisk, near the city of Baltisk .

A dog listening to a woman on the pier at the Strait of Baltisk.

Lithuanian tourists wearing wigs on the beach at the Strait of Baltisk.

People waiting in line to get on a ferry to take them across the Strait of Baltisk.

People hanging around outside a shop in the city of Baltisk, which along with Kaliningrad serves as one of the only ice-free ports on the Baltic Sea coast.

The front of a residence in Baltisk; pictured are the doorbells and mailboxes for the three apartments inside.

People exploring ruins on the beach at the Strait of Baltisk.

When the administration of former U.S. President George W. Bush discussed putting a missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic, the Kremlin responded by saying such a move would warrant its own missile system in the Kaliningrad region. The plan has since been postponed, and as of Sept. 17, 2009, the United States abandoned the idea of the missile shield.

A woman selling amber goods and souvenirs in the city of Kaliningrad.

A man fishing at a moat near an old fort in the city of Kaliningrad.

A woman selling clothing on the street in the city of Kaliningrad.

Workers moving a bench in preparation for Kaliningrad's City Day holiday events on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009.

WWII veterans participating in a parade for Kaliningrad's City Day holiday on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009.