Baltic countries begin historic switch away from Russia’s power grid

More than 30 years after leaving the Soviet Union, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, he escaped from the Russian power grid and began joining the EU network.

The two-day process began on Saturday morning, when residents were told to charge their devices, refill their food and water, and prepare as if harsh weather was expected.

Many are told not to use lifts – in some areas, traffic lights are turned off.

The huge, specially crafted clock counts down the final seconds before the landmark transition in the capital of Lithuania on Sunday, attended by EU chief Ursula von del Reyen.

The three countries officially transition from the grid that has connected Russia since the years after World War II.

The so-called Brell Power Grid, which represents Belarus, Russia, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, is almost entirely controlled by Moscow and has long been seen as the vulnerability of the former Soviet Republic, now a member of NATO.

No one has purchased electricity from Russia since 2022, but due to its connection with Brelgrid it relied on Moscow for the flow of energy.

After cutting on Saturday morning, the three countries will conduct frequency tests on Sunday before consolidating into the European grid via Poland.

“We are now removing the ability to use the Russian electricity system as a geopolitical, scary mail tool,” Lithuanian Energy Minister Zygimantas Vaiciunas told AFP news agency.

“It is the culmination of over a decade of efforts to reduce its energy dependence,” said David Smith, professor of the Baltic Sea Research Unit at the University of Glasgow.

“When the Baltic countries joined the EU and NATO, everyone talked about how they are energy islands that still rely on a joint power network with Belarus and Russia,” Smith said. “It’s completely broken now.”

Tensions between the Baltic states and Russia share a total of 543 miles (874km) of borders since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Since then, the spatches of alleged sabotage incidents, including power cables and pipelines, have prompted fear that Moscow can retaliate for its shift to EU energy.

Over the past 18 months, at least 11 cables have been damaged running beneath the Baltic Sea. In a recent case, ships from the “shadow fleet” of Russian oil tankers were accused of undermining Estonia’s main link in the Gulf of Finland. The Kremlin declined to comment.

NATO has not criticized Russia, but responded by launching a new patrol mission for the region called Sentry of the Baltic Sea.

“We cannot rule out any provocations, which is why Latvian and foreign security authorities are on high alert,” Latvian President Edgars Linkvicheese said on Wednesday.

“There’s obviously a risk, we understand that very well,” reverberated Latvian Prime Minister Ebika Silina. “But the risks have been identified and there are emergency plans.”

A spokesman for the NATO Energy Security Center of Excellence told the BBC that in recent months, frequent emergency surgical tests have been conducted to help prepare for potential targeted attacks on the energy system.

Gert Auvaart, head of Estonia’s Cybersecurity Centre, told the BBC that Russia “may exploit this period to create uncertainty,” but with international cooperation, Estonia has “because it’s the worst.” Also well prepared – case scenarios.

He said that cyberattacks on the country have surged following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with “hattitivist-led DDOS attacks (distributed denials) to more refined targets on government agencies and businesses. “We’ve got to work.”

The Baltic countries will also monitor disinformation campaigns related to the transition.

Shortly after notifying Russia of its decision to withdraw from Brell in August 2024, the campaign was incorrectly warning on social media about supply breakdowns and rising prices.