<p class="title">A joke on social media proposing that Czechs seize the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad has gone viral, sparking mirth as well as anger from those taking it as real.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Time to split Kaliningrad so that our Czech brothers have access to the sea," a Pole identifying himself as "Papiez internetu" (pope of the internet) tweeted last month.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He added a map of the small exclave encircled by Poland, Lithuania and the Baltic Sea, dividing it into a Polish and Czech part.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The capital of the enclave was founded in the 13th century by Teutonic knights and named Konigsberg (King's Hill) in honour of then-Czech King Premysl Otakar II.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The area belonged to Germany until 1945 when it was ceded to Russia as compensation after World War II.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Inspired by the annexation of four Ukrainian regions by Russia last week, the tweet sparked a storm of memes and jokes in the Czech Republic and Poland alike.</p>.<p class="bodytext"><strong>Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/putin-decree-asserts-russian-control-over-zaporizhzhia-nuclear-plant-1150945.html" target="_blank">Putin decree asserts Russian control over Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant</a></strong></p>.<p class="bodytext">"Make Kaliningrad Czech Again!" read an appeal inviting Czechs to a happening outside the Russian embassy in Prague next Monday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Polish Twitter user Tomasz Komentasz depicted an aircraft carrier named "Karel Gott" after a late Czech singer as it "leaves the Kaliningrad base for the Baltic Sea waters".</p>.<p class="bodytext">A viral meme portrays Russian President Vladimir Putin, looking relaxed on the phone, saying: "What is the situation in Kaliningrad"?</p>.<p class="bodytext">In the next picture, he looks alarmed, exclaiming: "What do you mean, ahoj?" -- "ahoj" being Czech for "hello".</p>.<p class="bodytext">Some have proposed an underground line connecting the second Czech city of Brno, Warsaw and Kaliningrad.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Others are planning "Beer Stream II" connecting Prague and Kaliningrad, in reference to the Nord Stream gas pipeline and the Czechs' favourite drink.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Czech politician Tomas Zdechovsky, a European Parliament deputy, gave the joke a boost when he shared it on Twitter -- but the decision did not go down well in Russia.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The EurAsia Daily news site slammed him for his "revanchist" post, and it later called the authors of a mock petition for the annexation of Kaliningrad "provocateurs".</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Russians don't have much sense of humour," Zdechovsky quipped on Twitter.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Czech Republic, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency, has provided Ukraine with hefty humanitarian and military aid since it was invaded by Russia in February.</p>
<p class="title">A joke on social media proposing that Czechs seize the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad has gone viral, sparking mirth as well as anger from those taking it as real.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Time to split Kaliningrad so that our Czech brothers have access to the sea," a Pole identifying himself as "Papiez internetu" (pope of the internet) tweeted last month.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He added a map of the small exclave encircled by Poland, Lithuania and the Baltic Sea, dividing it into a Polish and Czech part.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The capital of the enclave was founded in the 13th century by Teutonic knights and named Konigsberg (King's Hill) in honour of then-Czech King Premysl Otakar II.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The area belonged to Germany until 1945 when it was ceded to Russia as compensation after World War II.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Inspired by the annexation of four Ukrainian regions by Russia last week, the tweet sparked a storm of memes and jokes in the Czech Republic and Poland alike.</p>.<p class="bodytext"><strong>Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/putin-decree-asserts-russian-control-over-zaporizhzhia-nuclear-plant-1150945.html" target="_blank">Putin decree asserts Russian control over Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant</a></strong></p>.<p class="bodytext">"Make Kaliningrad Czech Again!" read an appeal inviting Czechs to a happening outside the Russian embassy in Prague next Monday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Polish Twitter user Tomasz Komentasz depicted an aircraft carrier named "Karel Gott" after a late Czech singer as it "leaves the Kaliningrad base for the Baltic Sea waters".</p>.<p class="bodytext">A viral meme portrays Russian President Vladimir Putin, looking relaxed on the phone, saying: "What is the situation in Kaliningrad"?</p>.<p class="bodytext">In the next picture, he looks alarmed, exclaiming: "What do you mean, ahoj?" -- "ahoj" being Czech for "hello".</p>.<p class="bodytext">Some have proposed an underground line connecting the second Czech city of Brno, Warsaw and Kaliningrad.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Others are planning "Beer Stream II" connecting Prague and Kaliningrad, in reference to the Nord Stream gas pipeline and the Czechs' favourite drink.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Czech politician Tomas Zdechovsky, a European Parliament deputy, gave the joke a boost when he shared it on Twitter -- but the decision did not go down well in Russia.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The EurAsia Daily news site slammed him for his "revanchist" post, and it later called the authors of a mock petition for the annexation of Kaliningrad "provocateurs".</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Russians don't have much sense of humour," Zdechovsky quipped on Twitter.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Czech Republic, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency, has provided Ukraine with hefty humanitarian and military aid since it was invaded by Russia in February.</p>