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Russian lawmakers slam plan to rename Kaliningrad Russian State Duma deputies on Tuesday criticized a proposal for a referendum on returning to the city of Kaliningrad its historical name, Konigsberg. The city is the administrative center of the Kaliningrad Region, Russia's westernmost exclave on the Baltic Sea, sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania. Originally named Konigsberg in German, the town was part of Prussia and then of Germany until 1945, but was largely destroyed during World War II. It was occupied by the Soviet Army in 1945 and was renamed Kaliningrad in 1946 in honor of Mikhail Kalinin, a high-ranking Soviet official. Kaliningrad Governor Nikolai Tsukanov was quoted on Monday as saying a referendum could be held on the issue. "If he did that, he should be fired," said Yelena Afanasyeva, a member of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia. The next step after the renaming could be the desire to separate the region from the Russian Federation, she added. Communist Vladimir Nikitin criticized the idea as "a well through move to split our society." He urged the governor to think twice, warning him that such remarks could cost him his political career.
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