Baltic States Complete Energy Disconnection from Russia and Belarus
The Baltic countries, all members of NATO, have a long history of strained relations with Russia since gaining independence from the USSR in 1990. Relations deteriorated further with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
In recent years, sixteen power lines connecting the Baltic states with Russia and Belarus were dismantled as part of the establishment of a new energy grid linking them with the rest of the European Union, including the installation of underwater cables in the Baltic Sea.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda stated, "This is physical disconnection from the last remaining element of our reliance on the Russian and Belarusian energy system," during a recent interview with The Associated Press.
The three Baltic nations share a 1,633-kilometre (1,015-mile) border with Russia and Belarus and informed Moscow and Minsk of their disconnection plans in 2024 to avoid any potential hostile reactions.
Rokas Masiulis, CEO of Litgrid, mentioned, "We have a protocol with the Russians on how everything should be disconnected," as he spoke to reporters on Saturday.
Leaders from all three countries reassured their citizens that the transition would proceed without issues, although special measures were enacted to counteract potential provocations.
In Latvia, the National Armed Forces and the National Guard were placed on heightened alert to ensure the safety of the transition, and no incidents were reported early on Saturday.
According to Litgrid, the Kaliningrad region, which lacks land connections to mainland Russia, has already been relying on its own power generation sources.
