The Baltic States count the last hours for termination of electricity connections with Russia – a public radio in South Carolina

Vilnius, Lithuania-Nearly 3 1/2 Decades After Leving the Soviet Union, The Baltic Countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania This Weeke-Anding Urn to the european Union Allies S

The cutting of electricity connections with oil and gas -rich Russia is encouraged in geopolitical and symbolic importance. The work to him accelerated after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops to invade Ukraine three years ago, shaking in the EU relations of Moscow.

“This is a physical interruption of the last remaining element of our reading of the Russian and Belarusian energy systems,” Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausada told the Associated Press in a recent interview.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen and other dignitaries are expected at a ceremony on Sunday as a specially made 9-meter (29.5 ft) high clock in the center of Vilnius count the last seconds of the Baltic Electricity with Russia.

Frosty ties after the fall of the Soviet Union

The Baltic countries, which are all NATO members, have often had frosty ties with Russia after declaring independence from the USSR in 1990, and relations fell apart because of the full-scale invasion of Russia in Ukraine in 2022.

Sixteen power lines they used to connect the three Baltic countries to Russia and Belarus have been dismantled over the years as a new network has been created to connect them to the rest of the EU, including underwater cables in the Baltic Sea.

On Saturday, all other transmission lines between them and Russia, Belarus and Russia Kaliningrad – a Russian excursion, honored between EU members Poland and Lithuania and the sea – will be excluded one by one.

Then, in 24 hours, the Baltic power system will work solo in the “operating mode of the island”. The next day, the electricity system is set to merge with the continental European and Scandinavian networks through several connections with Finland, Sweden and Poland.

The Kaliningrad region, which has no land links to continental Russia, already relies on its own electricity production, according to Litgrid, an operator of the Lithuanian Electricity System.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the connection plan was announced in advance by the Baltic countries, and the Russian energy sector has taken preparatory steps to ensure a smooth work on his side.

“These plans have been announced for a long time and they have required certain actions by ours and their electric companies,” Peskov told reporters. “We have taken all the necessary measures to ensure a reliable and continuous operation of our unified energy system.”

Risks of creating problems?

The three Baltic countries, which together share a 1015 miles border with Russia and Belarus, officially informed Moscow and Minsk about the July interruption plan. Their operators of the National Transmission System System credited EUR 1.2 billion ($ 1.25 billion) in the EU and other support to help countries synchronize with the synchronous area of ​​Continental Europe.

“Lithuania has done a lot in the last 30 years to break, to become independent,” Naidda said. Three years ago, “We stopped buying all kinds of energy resources from Russia. This was our response to the war in Ukraine.”

Despite the notice, the Baltic countries are still observing a possible response from their former Soviet partners.

“The risk of cyberattacks remains significant,” Litgrid said last week, adding that prolonged vigilant, cooperation, protective steps and “stable” cybersecurity measures are needed to effectively mitigate potential threats.

Latvian Prime Minister Evika forces warned Wednesday about possible provocations, but said Latvia was well prepared and services, including the Armed Forces and the National Guard, intensified their vigilance and security measures.

“It is clear that there are risks, we understand this very well. But the risks have been identified and there is a plan for unforeseen situations in the event that these risks take place,” Force said.

Following the announcement of the interruption plans, propaganda campaigns appeared on social media and in printed leaflets on the city streets, which have issued warnings about fake news about eclipses, severe energy shortages and high energy accounts for consumers.

“We have heard these rumors, but we are already used to such things,” said Jolant Caravitien, a retired teacher at Central Vilnius. “Of course we have to exclude them. Given the geopolitical situation, I see no reason to be there (in the Russian network).”

However, some of the region are taking precautions.

Estonia’s public television operator reported an increase in generators’ sales. The Bauhof home appliance chain sold dozens of more generators last month than in January a year ago, and the competing Ehituse ABC had to limit its purchases that the report said.

A long way to energy independence

Baltic countries’ steps towards energy independence have been in the creation.

In 2003, before joining the EU, Lithuania decided to close Ignalina’s Soviet nuclear power plant in response to concerns in Brussels about its safety. It was out of operation in 2009.

Lithuania built offshore oil terminal in the Baltic Sea in 1999. Seven years later, it has become the only point for importing raw oil in the country after the surprise of Russia is moving to stop oil supplies to Lithuania through the huge pipeline of Druzhba in Russia.

Rocks Massiuelis, CEO of Litgrid, said Lithuania “suffered a lot” because of Russian actions in the past, such as stopping oil supplies and increasing gas prices that was once its country.

He said that Lithuania today has “much more than we need” in terms of electrical capacity, as well as fossil fuels, but also more sunny and wind. “So we’re safe,” he said.

Excluding the connection with Russia “is not a bad thing for them, (neither) bad for us,” Massil said. “We were some interconnected and interdependent to each other. Now we will just divide our ways.”

The three Baltic countries have restored power lines and launched a huge construction and reconstruction program to divert their networks away from Russia and in the West, added Litgrid CEO, calling it a technological feat.

“Russia’s actions – as they are aggressive and push their neighbors – they really helped us,” Masilis said. “We may have suffered a little with oil prices, gas prices, but we were forced to act. That’s why we built alternative routes.”

“We are in a much better condition now than we were before,” he added. “So maybe we were wished by sick, but in the end everything works very well for us.”

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