Lithuania announced that it had severed its electricity connection to Russia’s power grid on Saturday (today).

This move is part of a strategy by the three Baltic nations to strengthen their integration with the European Union and enhance security.

Latvia and Estonia are anticipated to disconnect by 07:00 GMT, and if final tests go well, the three countries will synchronize with the EU’s power grid on Sunday after operating independently in the interim.

“We have disconnected,” a spokesperson for Lithuanian grid operator Litgrid said.

Discussions about the Baltics’ plans to disconnect from the power grid of their former Soviet ruler, which had been ongoing for decades, gained traction after Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014.

This grid represented the last connection to Russia for the three countries, which regained their independence after the Soviet Union’s collapse and became members of the European Union and NATO in 2004.

Reuters

Paris, Kyiv, Baltic states dismayed after China envoy questions Ukraine sovereignty

China says it respects sovereignty of ex-Soviet states, after EU uproar

Belarus expands visa-free entry to 35 countries