Poland reverts to historic name for Russia’s Kaliningrad

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland is reverting to using its historical name for Kaliningrad, the Russian city and administrative region that sits on its border. From now on, it will be designated on Polish maps as Krolewiec, based on the advice from the government commission for geographic names abroad. The Kremlin has reacted angrily, calling it a “process bordering on insanity,” going beyond Russophobia. The city, formerly known as Koenigsberg, was ceded from Germany to the Soviet Union after the Second World War and renamed Kaliningrad, after Mikhail Kalinin, one of the leaders of the Bolshevik revolution. Kalinin was one of the officials who ordered the execution of more than 21,000 Polish prisoners of war at Katyn and elsewhere in 1940.