Baltic states ditch Russian power grid as they move closer to EU

Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania disconnected their energy systems from Russia’s powerfulness grid connected Saturday successful a bid to question person ties with the EU and boost nationalist security.

Officials person unopen down the Soviet-era grid's transmission and, pending last-minute tests, program to synchronize it with the EU’s grids connected Sunday. In the meantime, it volition run independently.

Lithuania’s energy minister, Zygimantas Vaiciunas told a property league the Baltic vigor strategy "is yet successful our hands, we are successful afloat control".

"We've reached the extremity we strived for, for truthful long," Mr Vaiciunas added.

Immediately aft disconnecting from the grid, Latvian workers utilized a crane to scope the high-voltage wires successful Vilaka and chopped them. They kept the wires arsenic keepsakes and handed them retired to observers.

The powerfulness grid was the last remaining nexus the 3 countries had to Russia, aft they became autarkic nations successful the aboriginal 1990s aft the autumn of the Soviet Union.

The agelong process of cutting ties with Moscow began aft the annexation of Crimea successful 2014.

All 3 countries are staunch supporters of Ukraine and stopped buying vigor from Russia aft Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale penetration connected the state successful 2022.

They person invested astir €1.6billion (£1.3billion) successful upgrading their grids, portion Moscow has spent 100 cardinal roubles (£806,000) to heighten its Kaliningrad exclave.

The exclave is located betwixt Lithuania, Poland and the Baltic Sea, which is chopped disconnected from Russia’s main grid.

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said: "By ending the vigor dependence of the Baltic states connected Russia, we are leaving the aggressor without the enactment of utilizing vigor arsenic a limb against us.”

An service motortruck was spotted astatine the Rezekne powerfulness substation adjacent the Latvia-Russia border, with equipped officers patrolling the country and the adjacent town, reflecting Baltic concerns implicit imaginable sabotage aimed astatine disrupting the switch.

The Baltic portion is said to beryllium connected precocious alert pursuing powerfulness cable, telecom links and state pipeline outages betwixt the Baltics and Sweden oregon Finland.

They were believed to beryllium caused by ships dragging anchors crossed the oversea furniture pursuing Russia’s penetration of Ukraine, but Russia has denied immoderate involvement.