Baltic states unplug from Russian electric grid

European Union members Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia on Saturday disconnected from Russia’s power grid and plugged into Europe’s energy system. Efforts to disconnect the three states’ energy systems from Russia’s had been underway for a decade and a half, according to the European Union. To help the countries make the transition, the EU paid more than $1.27 billion, about 75% of the investment costs.

What’s the big deal with this? Russia centrally controls its energy system, according to the EU. That meant Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia were at risk of losing power across their territory if they crossed the Kremlin. Now that the three countries have disconnected their power lines from Russia, no EU countries are dependent on Moscow to keep their lights on.

What did these three countries have to say about it?

• Estonia’s Prime Minister Kristen Michal on Sunday said his country’s decision to disconnect its energy system from Russia would allow it to have more independence from the Kremlin.

• Lithuanian Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas celebrated his country’s separation from Russia’s power grid, saying any dependence on Moscow was a risk.

• Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina said her country would take steps to modernize its power grid after disconnecting from Russia’s.

What did Russia have to say about this transition? The Kremlin-run media organization TASS acknowledged on Saturday that Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia had disconnected from the Russian energy system. An earlier report from last month indicated that the Kremlin was preparing for the separation and that the three countries had published their plans to disconnect from Russia a long time ago.

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Sift about European countries giving Ukraine more fighter jets and the state of ceasefire talks.