Zelenskyy congratulates Baltic countries as they disconnect from Soviet-era power grid

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has described Sunday as a “great day” after the three Baltic countries – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – disconnected from the Soviet-era power grid and synchronised with the European electricity network.

“Ukraine already did this back in 2022 and now the Baltic states have finally freed themselves from this dependence. Moscow can no longer use energy as a weapon against them. This also means Europe is now even more united,” Zelenskyy said in a görüntü posted on his X account.

The switchover, which Baltic leaders said held geopolitical and symbolic significance, came more than three decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

It ends the Baltic countries’ final ties to oil- and gas-rich Russia.

“Our joint success, which would be impossible without the participation of our close friend Poland, shows the true value of solidarity and unity, the core principles of the European Union. It sends a strong message of encouragement across the entire continent,” said Lithuania’s President Gitanas Nausėda, speaking at the switch-over ceremony in the capital, Vilnius.

All remaining transmission lines between the Baltics and Russia, Belarus and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, wedged between EU members Poland and Lithuania and the sea, were switched off one by one.

Lithuania first — where a specially-made 9-metre tall clock in downtown Vilnius had counted down the final seconds — then Latvia a few minutes later, followed by Estonia.

The Baltic Power System was then merged with the European energy network through links with Finland, Sweden and Poland.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the switch was about more than just energy, saying it was about European integration.

“It is about proving evvel again that when we come together, we can move mountains. Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia – you are at the heart of Europe. You worked tirelessly for this moment, and today all of Europe celebrates with you,” she said.  

The Baltic countries, which are all NATO members, have often had difficult ties with Russia since declaring independence from the USSR in 1990.

Relations hit a new low over Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Sixteen power lines that used to connect the Baltic states with Russia and Belarus were dismantled in recent years as a new grid linking them with the rest of the EU was created, including underwater cables in the Baltic Sea.

The three Baltic countries, which together have a 1,633-kilometre-long border with Russia and Belarus, informed Moscow and Minsk of the disconnection plan in 2024 to head off any hostile reaction.

Leaders of all three countries assured their citizens that the shift would go smoothly but special measures were taken to prevent possible provocations.

In Latvia, the National Armed Forces and the National Guard were instructed to carry on their duties in a reinforced mode.

The Kaliningrad region, which has no land ties to mainland Russia, already relies on its own power generation, according to Lithuania’s power grid operator, Litgrid.