Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania -- all former Soviet republics now in the European Union and NATO -- are leaving Russia’s grid to prevent Moscow from weaponising it against them.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas -- Estonia’s former prime minister -- hailed the move on X as “a victory for freedom and European unity”.
“I can confirm that Lithuania’s electricity exchange lines with Kaliningrad and Belarus were disconnected at 07:43” local time (0543 GMT), Litgrid spokesman Matas Noreika told AFP.
Official celebrations are planned across the Baltics, although some consumers worry about disruptions to supply including from potential cyber-attacks.
“We are ready,“ Lithuanian Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas said on X, calling the weekend “the beginning of a new era of our energy independence”.
The switch became more urgent after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, spooking the Baltic states into thinking they could be targeted.
This left them dependent on Moscow for a stable electricity flow, which is crucial for factories and facilities requiring a reliable power supply.
After the Baltic states disconnect from the Russian grid, they will operate in so-called “isolated mode” for about 24 hours to test their frequency, or power levels.
“We’ll switch power stations on and off, observe how the frequency fluctuates and assess our ability to control it.”
Authorities have warned of potential risks linked to the change.
Poland’s power grid operator PSE said it will use helicopters and drones to patrol the connection with Lithuania.
In Estonia, police and volunteer defence corps will man critical electrical infrastructure until the following weekend because of the risk of sabotage.
‘People won’t feel it’
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda was sure the switch would go smoothly, telling reporters: “People won’t feel it, either in terms of their bills or any inconvenience.”
But some consumers worry about power cuts and home improvement stores in Estonia have noted a sharp increase in sales of generators.
Kaliningrad has been building up power generation capacity for years and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed all concerns.
Asked about the cut-off last week, he said: “We have taken all measures to ensure the uninterrupted reliable operation of our unified energy system.”
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