Baltic nations cut ties to Russian power grid, prepare to link with EU

Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania disconnected from Russia’s power grid on Saturday, marking the end of their energy reliance on Moscow and a major step toward deeper integration with the European Union.

The three Baltic states, former Soviet republics, had long planned to cut ties with Russia’s electricity system. Their shift to the EU’s grid comes amid heightened security concerns and follows Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Officials confirmed that the Baltics will operate independently for 24 hours before synchronizing with the EU grid at 1200 GMT on Sunday.

"We've reached the goal we strived for, for so long. We are now in control," Lithuanian Energy Minister Zygimantas Vaiciunas said.

Since gaining independence in the early 1990s, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have worked to reduce energy dependence on Moscow.

The effort accelerated after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. While the countries had stopped buying Russian electricity in 2022, they still relied on Russia’s grid to regulate power stability.

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna called the move a strategic victory. "By ending the energy dependence of the Baltic states on Russia, we are leaving the aggressor without the option of using energy as a weapon against us," he said.

Security concerns surrounded the transition. Armed officers were seen patrolling a key power substation near Latvia’s border with Russia, with officials wary of potential sabotage attempts.

The European Commission praised the move, and its president, Ursula von der Leyen, is set to speak at a ceremony marking the shift on Sunday.

For Russia, the decoupling isolates its Kaliningrad exclave, which now must maintain its power system independently. Moscow spent around $1 billion upgrading Kaliningrad’s energy infrastructure in preparation.

The Baltics have invested nearly €1.6 billion ($1.66 billion) since 2018 to prepare for the transition. While analysts warn of potential energy fluctuations, officials say contingency plans are in place, including temporarily cutting power to some industrial users in case of shortages.

Latvia’s energy minister assured that the transition was going smoothly. "The system is stable. No one is noticing that something changed," Kaspars Melnis said.