This weekend, the Baltic states will complete the process of disconnecting from the Russian energy grid.

Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia will complete their disconnection from the Russian energy system on Saturday. This will mark the definitive end of historical ties with Moscow in the energy sector.

According to RBK-Ukraine, this was announced by Lithuania's Energy Minister Žygimantas Vaičiūnas AFP.

He stated that this move would deprive Russia of the ability to use energy supply as a tool for geopolitical influence.

"We are now removing Russia's ability to use the energy system as a tool for geopolitical blackmail," he said.

It is noted that Latvia will physically disconnect the power line to Russia on Saturday, February 8. An official ceremony will take place in Vilnius on Sunday, featuring European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the leaders of the Baltic states.

"We can finally take matters into our own hands," he added.

In recent years, these countries have been working on integrating into the European energy system. However, the need to accelerate this process increased following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

This is why the Baltic states previously refused to purchase Russian gas and electricity, while their power grids remained connected to the Russian and Belarusian energy systems. This created a risk of dependence on Moscow in case of supply instability.

"Russia could use energy as a weapon, creating the risk of unplanned power supply interruptions due to political decisions," Vaičiūnas noted.

This Saturday at 07:00 GMT, the three countries will enter a so-called "isolated mode," which will last for about 24 hours. During this period, network operators will test the stability of the energy system.

"We need to conduct a series of tests to assure Europe that we are a stable energy system," explained Rokas Masiulis, chairman of Lithuania's state-owned electricity grid operator Litgrid.

At the same time, these countries expect possible provocations from Russia. For this reason, the Polish electricity grid operator PSE plans to use helicopters and drones to patrol the power lines between Poland and Lithuania.

It is worth noting that the disconnection of the Baltic states will also affect the Kaliningrad region, which will subsequently lose its connection to the mainland Russian energy system.

Disconnection from BRELL

Previously, we reported that in 2023, these countries announced their intention to disconnect from the common energy system.

Ukraine disconnected from the Russian system and joined the European energy system (ENTSO-E) at the end of February 2022.

Last summer, Lithuania's Ministry of Energy stated that the disconnection would take place as early as the beginning of 2025. However, the energy systems of the Baltic states are synchronizing with the European energy system ENTSO-E.