More than 30 years after regaining their independence from the Soviet Union, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have disconnected themselves from the Russian energy system.
Shortly after 9 am (0700 GMT) on Saturday, the three Baltic countries were disconnected from the electricity grid with Russia, which they had remained connected to since Soviet times.
The disconnection went smoothly and was not noticed by consumers, according to the grid operators in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. “The systems are stable and secure,” they said in a written statement on Saturday.
For one day, the electricity grids of the three countries will now function on their own in what is called “island mode” – and will then be integrated into the European system via Poland on Sunday.
Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa spoke of the largest and most important project for energy independence and regional security in decades.
Power imports from Russia long since stopped
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania stopped importing electricity from Russia as part of the fallout from the invasion of Ukraine.
However, they were still part of a common, synchronized grid with Russia and Belarus dating back to Soviet times. This was considered a security risk.
After the grid change, they will be able to control the basic parameters of the electricity system themselves, such as frequency and voltage.
“Russia can no longer use energy as a tool of blackmail. This is a victory for freedom and European unity,” wrote the EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, on X on Friday.
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were forced to become part of the Soviet Union after the Second World War until they regained their independence in 1991.
The countries had already been moving towards decoupling from the Russian system, but only at the beginning of 2026.
Russia’s attack on Ukraine in February 2022 accelerated the project, which was largely funded by the EU.
The costs for building the necessary infrastructure totalled around €1.6 billion ($1.65 billion).
